


Captive Mate

by Bad_Romance, Rukazaya



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Bondage, Cages, Captivity, Dubcon or Noncon Moirallegiance, Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Knotting, Lima Syndrome, Lots of creepy factor and wtf moments, M/M, Male Lactation, Oral Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Scent Kink, Sex Toys, Yandere, poor Izaya in heat and desperate, very creepy Shizuo, very yandere Shizuo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:08:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 128,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bad_Romance/pseuds/Bad_Romance, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rukazaya/pseuds/Rukazaya
Summary: Izaya tries to escape the life of enslavement which his omega status promises, only to run straight from one cage and into another.





	1. Chapter 1

   
The neon lights flicker as the poor excuse for an electric current tries to run through the letter ‘A’ for the word BAR on top of a building. Cigarette smoke burns the young bartender's lungs, enough to fend off late fall’s bite as the wind is channeled through the narrow alley behind the bar Shizuo works at. It’s a dump, but then again, it hired him.

Shizuo's been working in this run-down, no-name bar for three years now. The hours are late, the pay is shit, and some drunk alpha is smashing a bottle over someone’s head every other week but it's the longest job Shizuo's ever held. The sticky floors and heroine addicts shooting up in the bathroom are a second home at this point. Not that he's particularly attached to his actual home.

He leans back on the crumbling bricks that barely seem to hold together the edge of the building, his cigarette dangling off his lower lip. His eyes are closed, his head is laid back, his hands are shoved deep into his pockets, and his body is limp from long hours - but he's gotta make rent somehow.

Living in an almost abandoned apartment building with practically zero property value is no accident. It was a conscious decision on Shizuo's part. Shizuo presented at the young age of thirteen as an alpha, to no one's surprise. The social class of leadership and power and high status. Or, at least that's the stereotype they tell you in elementary school. The truth, is Shizuo knows plenty of shitty, dead-beat alphas. Shizuo would consider himself one of them. By choice.

Shizuo doesn't want to fight and lead. All he wants is to be left the fuck alone.

… Well, maybe not completely alone. But he has no desire to participate in society. Too much noise, too much corruption, and - if anyone knew the truth - too many rich assholes trying to pay him to breed their omegas.

A hunk of ash falls off the tip of his cigarette and he slowly opens his eyes to look into the sky.

It's black. Not a star in sight from all the smog and light pollution. Shizuo's never seen a real star besides the sun. Only pictures of stars.

He smells smoke and piss and weed. Gasoline and rotting garbage and heat-mimicking pheromones. In the distance he can hear the hiss of an alley cat and the laughter of drunk teens. Cars accelerating through yellow lights and muffled bass and sirens. Footsteps… running footsteps… getting… closer?

Something rounds the tight corner into Shizuo's alley and crashes into his shoulder, catching him off-guard and jostling the cigarette from his mouth. Shizuo looks down to see the small figure stumbling back, more thrown off balance from the collision than Shizuo. It's a man. Slender, pale, black hair and smells like… an omega in heat?

No, that can't be right. It's gotta be that fake smell hookers use. There's no such thing as an unaccompanied omega in the street. Not one without a mate or a pimp watching them. But this smell… Shizuo's never smelled the real thing before, but he knows it's authentic. There's no bitter tang of chemicals that's always just under the surface of even the most expensive fake pheromones. This smell is thick and raw. It's the smell of a fertile, unclaimed omega in heat.

“What the hell…?”

_I've finally lost it, right? There's no way this is actually happening!_

The omega looks up at Shizuo, eyes narrowed in fury with his lips pulled back in a snarl. The face of pure defiance against a force Shizuo hasn't placed upon him.

Then the omega is saying something but Shizuo can't hear it. The background of the city has completely disappeared. _The smell_ is so much. It's perfect and Shizuo thinks that maybe this omega and him were meant to find each other. Even with his face twisted up in anger and fear, he's the most beautiful person Shizuo has ever seen. With the entire world shifting to revolve around the two of them, everything clicks into place.

_This is it._

_This is my mate._

Shizuo doesn’t know what he’s thinking when he grabs the little omega by his shoulders and lifts him off the ground. The loose buckles on the white thing he’s wearing clink together. Is that - _a straitjacket ?_ He’s not thinking anything at all except how tiny his bones are and how light he is.

The little omega throws out his legs, kicking at Shizuo’s abdomen like he’s in a panic, but Shizuo’s just confused by it. Why would his mate be in a panic when Shizuo’s right there to protect him?

Shizuo doesn’t want to hurt his mate, but he needs to calm him down. If his omega keeps thrashing around he might hurt himself. Shizuo presses him against the wall of the alley. As quick and painlessly as possible, he gives his omega a little bump on the head. Just to make him sleep for a little bit. Just long enough for them to get home.

His mate goes limp, making it easy for Shizuo to toss him over his shoulder and bring him home. It doesn’t matter that his shift isn’t over yet. This is far more important. He makes sure to pick up the dropped cigarette butt and slips it into his cigarette envelope before he leaves the empty alley. This is all very confusing. Shizuo has so many questions. Why is his mate so upset? What’s he doing in a straitjacket? Why is he out so late alone and not at home?

He holds his omega a bit tighter and turns his head to press a kiss to the waist that’s draped over his shoulder and breaths in the scent deeply. His mouth waters. He’s never smelled anything so perfect before, never even dared to dream he’d get his hands on something so perfect before. He turns away from the smell and walks faster.

 

* * *

 

 

It is beyond his worst nightmare. From the escape from the Nebula Corporation, to his new found status and identity, all the way down to bumping into a random alpha who seems to be immune to his command ability...while he is in heat!

Orihara Izaya groans softly as he wakes up to a chilly draft and a headache. He breaths in, trying to shake his pain away by turning to his side when he realizes: he can’t.

The tug of his wrist startles the small raven-haired man into a shocking wakefulness as he blinks open his eyes.

He is in a new environment now. It’s bleak and dim, mostly from the poor lighting of the apartment surrounded by other taller concrete apartments around them. His eyes focus onto the dark room, lumpy old bed, stained curtain that seems to serve as a makeshift door that leads out. The room is tiny, half the size of his own room back at home...if he ever can go back home. Izaya isn’t sure what’s more surprising, that the owner of this place decided to get a bed instead of futon which would have saved him space, or that the owner had even managed to find a bed this old and still use it.

However, what captures Izaya’s immediate attention is this blond mop of a hair buried near his crotch, sniffing his thigh as if it’s his new supply of cocaine.

Cringing, Izaya forces himself not to scream like he has a cockroach crawling up his leg just now.

He tries to recollect his emotions and feel for his own body. He… he seems more or less intact. And somehow, this alpha has not attacked him or started to molest him just yet, unlike all the others have tried.

“Umm…“ Izaya speaks up to let him know he’s awake. He can’t poke the man since his hands are tied. Even if this man has not attacked him yet, he might soon. After all, why else would this man shackle him to his bed?

The blond lifts his head up and smiles. He is handsome and the smile wouldn’t have been so creepy if it isn’t for the fact that this man kidnapped him and tied him to his bedpost.

“Ah, you’re awake. That’s good. Did I hit you too hard? Does your head hurt?” The man gently cups his face with both of his hands and strokes his cheeks with his thumbs. Izaya freezes instantly. It feels creepy and his mind is running wild with several hypothesis, none of which is helping him calm his fear.

“No, I’m fine.” Izaya replies, as agreeable as possible despite his heart racing. “Why am I here?” First, he needs to communicate with his captor and find out his motive. That is, other than imminent mating.

The blond lets go of his face and lays his hands on top of Izaya’s stomach, near his abdomen while still looking up at him. “To keep you safe, of course. You were alone and scared when I found you.” He smooths his hands over the straitjacket that Izaya is still wearing. “Just like a stray kitten. So I rescued you.”

Izaya feels a chill run down his spine as this man continues to rub his stomach as if he soon plans to impregnate the omega’s womb. There is legitimate fear instilled in Izaya but he isn’t the type to back down easily. After all, he had a trump card over all the alphas.

“I’m Orihara Izaya, thanks for saving me.” Izaya smiles, going along with this crazy man’s idea of a rescue instead of a forced house arrest. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Shizuo. Are you hungry? Do you want some water?”

Izaya takes in that question and tries to think of a way to use it to his advantage.

“Yes, water would be nice.” Izaya agrees. He needs to win this guy over to free himself. He has noticed first hand that his command ability doesn’t work on him. Meaning, this Shizuo must be a very high rank alpha, maybe? But even the A classes had gone crazy over Izaya’s scent…

Still, Izaya had not fully tested his own ability on A class alphas. So for now, small steps will have to do.

The alpha nods and gets up. He walks through the curtain, leaving it open so Izaya can see what he’s doing. It’s connected to a kitchen, it seems, a really small one at that. He gets a plastic cup from the cabinet and fills it with tap water before rushing back.

“How are you feeling? I heard clothes are suppose to feel terrible on an omega in heat but I didn’t want to scare you.”

Izaya’s hair stands on its end. It’s as if this alpha was taking further steps ahead than Izaya is making his own progress to escape. He laughs and shrugs.

“Clothes don’t bother me. Actually, can you… untie the ropes so I can hold my water? I think the ropes itch more than my clothes...” Izaya is nervous that this man has not yet questioned him as to why he is wearing a straitjacket. Even the omegas in omegahouses don’t wear straitjackets. And it clearly has the Nebula Corporation logo on the chest.

The taller man laughs awkwardly and scratches the back of his head apologetically. “Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t have anything better because I wasn’t expecting this.” He sits on the edge of the bed and tilts Izaya’s head forward to help him drink. This isn’t what he wanted or asked for!

“I’ll get something nicer later. But I can’t let you go now. We’re not officially mates yet.”

Izaya’s throat feels dry as he hears those words despite the fact that Shizuo lets him drink some water. So he does plan to mate with him. This is bad. Izaya knows he could mate with anyone! Or even no one with his powers! But first he needs to…

Oh no.

Izaya feels it. A small burn that starts in his stomach and begins to spread. His womb starts to throb, wanting to be filled and Izaya shudders as the heat comes back. The suppressants are wearing off.

“S-Shizuo. C-can you do me a favor? Inside… my pocket, there’s a bottle with my pills. Can I have one?”

Izaya watches with his heart pounding as the man dips his hand in and fishes out the bottle. Then he notices him frowning as he reads the label on the medication. His heart sinks as Shizuo firmly places it on the bedside table instead of giving it to him.

“You don’t need suppressants anymore.” He says, furrowing his brows. “You have me.”

Never before has Izaya ever heard so few  words feel so heavy. He can feel shackles lock with a snap around his heart as if his fate is sealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Ruka: Hello! Thank you for reading! I've always wanted to write the omegaverse (and I still sort of want to write that other fic i have in mind... ) but then Bad_Romance suggested a collab so it's easier since I only have to write half of the story! I'm pretty excited, I hope to churn this out faster. Hopefully! 
> 
> Bad_Romance: If you like twisted love and smut you'll probably like this. Though this is a collaboration we've taken turns leading with the characters we specialize in. I hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

  
Panic slowly rises in Izaya as well as his arousal. No. Oh no, no, no. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening!

“Shizuo. I… I need that medication.” Izaya says one more time as if he’s speaking to a dull child. “I need it or… it’s unbearably painful for me.”

The insufferable man shrugs insufferably. “Only if you don’t have anyone to mate with, right? Don’t worry, I won’t force you to mate with me. But you’re not getting your suppressants.” Then the blond has the audacity to place his hands on Izaya’s hips and push up the straight jacket. Izaya sucks in a sharp breath as Shizuo sees what he’s wearing.

It’s a creamy vanilla silk draped in pearls and diamonds. They sparkle despite the dim light. And his arousal is also starting to show.

“S-stop!” He didn’t mean to shout in panic but there’s a hint of his voice breaking. He tries to close his legs together but it only reveals more of his silk studded in luxury. It’s clearly a sex slave outfit for the elites, a level only an A class pet could adorn with a rich and powerful master who could gift it.

The blond’s gaze grows cold when he sees what Izaya is wearing underneath the straitjacket. “What the hell? Why are you wearing all this crap?” He roughly seizes the material, tearing the fragile and clearly expensive garment as if it was offensive.

“...You’re not already mated, right? You don’t smell like you are.”

“I…” Izaya struggles, breathing growing rough. His cock is starting to hurt a lot and a bead of precum starts to form on its head to match his pearls. He will soon lose his ability to think and talk. He is deathly scared of losing his sanity. Already he is struggling to lie.

“I... I’m not mated.” Izaya bites his lower lip as he spits out the truth. There is no point lying. The alpha would know by his smell that he isn’t mated. Lying right now would only hurt him. But he is scared. He doesn’t want to be mated to someone he barely knows.

“You’re jacket is weird too. I didn’t want ta ask ‘cause whatever happened before you got here ain’t my business, but it looks like some rich bastards had their eyes on you.” The brute pulls off the fancy lingerie and rips the straightjacket in half. He tosses both into a corner.

Izaya whimpers as he pulls his legs close to him. Now the man knows that he’s some freak, a high-class omega desired by practically every single alpha and beta out there. If only he wasn’t in heat he might be able to fight back, but he can’t. The scent of the alpha is starting to affect him without the suppressants. The heat is starting to get unbearable again. His ass and cock starts to throb hard with ‘need’.

“S-Shizuo… please. The suppressant.” Izaya is slowly losing his ability to reason. All he can think of is that he needs his drug. Now. He doesn’t even remember the question Shizuo was asking. Already his mind is telling him he wants this alpha. The overpowering scent is starting to affect his hormones. Soon he’ll just be a mindless sex toy and he doesn’t want this. This isn’t the life he wants to have.

“Not happening. I heard there’s all kinds of chemicals in that stuff that’s bad for you if you take it too much.”

However, Shizuo’s words were fading. Izaya starts to drool and his eyes close. His panting grows rough and he’s feeling feverish again. He keeps trying to rub himself against something. Anything. He tugs at the hemp rope that keeps his wrists above his head.

“Please. Please… nnngh… please…!”

Izaya desperately stares up at Shizuo only to see the blonde stare back at him critically in silence. Then finally the insufferable man scratches the back of his neck as if he’s confronting a predicament he can’t seem to solve easily while his right leg twitches. Izaya can’t believe it when the man gets up to walk back to what’s probably a bathroom, leaving him tied up and suffering. Izaya groans inwardly, confused and more than just a little upset. What the hell?! He just begged him and there’s no response? At this point the heat is overtaking him and, in the back of his head, he is bewildered that his ‘heat’ isn’t working on a man who is clearly an ‘alpha’, right now that’s the least of his worries.

 

* * *

 

 

The heat is swamping Shizuo’s senses and it’s more incredible than he ever imagined. His mouth waters and his muscles twitch to lunge forward and take this omega for himself. But he can’t. Not yet. This omega doesn’t want him. Not really. How could he? They just met. Shizuo swears to himself that no matter what this omega says he’s not going to mate him until he’s sure Izaya means it. He wants a real mate, not a personal toilet or a pet toy, damn it. Not some hormone-driven mistake. So, he steels his resolve, commanding himself the way he might command someone of a lower class, and turns to the bathroom on the other side of the curtain instead. There’s other ways he can make Izaya’s heat feel better, right? He’s just gotta keep him cool and as comfortable as possible. Maybe find something to distract him? Shizuo can’t afford a TV but he’s got a few books.

He grabs a thin, well-worn rag from his bathroom cabinet and runs it under the icy tap. He can only afford hot water at the best of times, but right now, this is perfect. He takes a deep breath, reminds himself of his promise, and walks back into the room full of that heavy omega smell.

In three steps he reaches the side of his bed and holds up the rag to show his little omega what it is. He seems to be startled easily, so Shizuo moves slowly when he folds it and places it on his forehead.

“How’s that?”

The little omega’s eyes flutter open wide in shock and they’d be pretty if he wasn’t looking at Shizuo like he’s a crazy person. His jaw drops, but then his face screws up into something like frustration.

“N-no. That’s not what I asked for.” He grits out between pants, speaking to Shizuo as though he’s a child, but not nearly as polite as he was a few minutes ago.

Shizuo frowns. Sure, his omega’s not comfortable right now but he doesn’t have to be rude.

“Hey, you don’t gotta be an ass about it. I’m tryin’ ta help, got it?”

“If you really want to help, untie me” He yanks his wrists.

Shizuo can see that the omega’s heat is slowly taking over and watch his cheeks turn into a lovely shade of red.

“I already told you no.” Shizuo growls, staring down the omega while his alpha pheromones flare up. It’s not a conscious decision on Shizuo’s part, but he doesn’t like the way this omega is starting to make him feel like he’s doing something wrong.

He wracks his brain for something to calm his omega. The heat will definitely make Shizuo lose his resolve if he touches him. Maybe it would be okay if he ran that cold rag over the omega’s body? Or maybe just placing it on the back of his neck would be better?

The omega starts thrashing about madly, trying to break loose. It startles Shizuo and he realizes he’s got to do something quick. He’s going to rub his wrist raw on that shitty rope if he keeps doing at!

Maybe he could...

“Hey! Hey, calm down…” Shizuo says, raising his hands placatingly. He’s never tried to issue a command on purpose before, but he knows what it feels like when he does, so he tries that. He doesn’t like the idea of ordering his omega around. He’s really not that kind of guy. But he’s running out of ideas.

It doesn’t work. He tries to kick Shizuo in the face.

“Shit!” Shizuo hisses and backs out of range. He must really not know how to do it. That didn’t work at all. “Stop that already!”

He can feel himself getting mad, but he really doesn’t want to. He’s just met his future mate and he doesn’t want ‘that’ to be his first impression. He takes a deep breath, but all that does is make him horny. He tries counting backward from twenty like his mom used to tell him to do.

“Calm down.” Shizuo snaps. He’s heard that alphas can calm omegas with their pheromones. Or maybe that’s just between mates? Either way, he doesn’t know how to do that.

“Stop thrashing around! You might hurt yourself and I… I don’t want to have to grab you because if I touch you-”

“T-this is… my second heat only.” The little omega says weakly. “I can’t… handle… this.”

Shizuo swallows the saliva pooling on his tongue.

“O-okay I… Calm down.” Shizuo lowers his tone to something soft and hopefully comforting despite his uncertainty with his own ability to handle this situation. He’s surprised to hear it’s only this man’s second heat. People usually present in their teen or preteen years, but he can’t worry about a little thing like deciphering that tidbit of information right now. “I’ll be right here to help you the whole time. I promise I’m not gonna mate with you because I know you don’t want me to yet.”  
  
“Help me the whole time?! Mate with me?! Are you out of your mind?! Who in their right mind would mate with a man who just kidnapped them and tied them to his bed?!” The omega cracks at this point, half chuckling as he shakes his head. It’s as if he’s lost his mind.

“Just fuck me then, if you want a toy. If you want my body that much, go ahead. But I’m not going to ‘mate’ with just because you want it.” Despite the omega’s bold words, his eyes said otherwise. He looks away, nervous, scared even, tightening up as if he’s ready to be raped. That really doesn’t sit well with Shizuo.

“What?” Shizuo snaps, officially angry now. “Have you not been listening to me?! I just told you I’m not going to rape you! You’re probably not going to be in your right mind in a few minutes, so I’m keeping you safe! If I left you to keep running around outside in this part of town you would’ve been raped and taken as a toy for sure!”

“I was doing perfectly fine until you came alon-! H-aaah…!” The man shudders hard, squinting his eyes in pain. He trembles, trying to curl up now.

“I… I can’t. I really can’t… please… the suppressants… i-it’s starting to hurt.”

Shizuo’s eyes narrow at his ungrateful omega. He crosses his arms and remains firm.

“No.”

“Haa-ha… hahaha… hahahaha! Ahahaha!!” the omega starts laughing maniacally.

“You’re hilarious...you know that? Mr. Self-righteous man. Are you Justice?! Who gives you the right to own and command-aaah! Hnnngh...” He shudders violently again. He turns himself over and tries to rub his dick against the mattress. But it’s not enough. They both knew that the part that hurts the most and is itching to be touched is his ass, as it’s starting to lubricate itself for penetration while in heat.

“F-fuck… fuck! I hate this! I hate you! And I fucking hate this body!”

His omega’s words make the anxiety bubble up higher in Shizuo’s chest. He wants him to stop talking. Shizuo wants him to stop making him feel like he’s doing something bad. He saved this omega. He knows he did! His omega’s just upset. He’s not in his right mind. Shizuo’s sure that’s all it is. But he needs to stop talking now.

“Shut up,” Shizuo growls.

“Just fuck me and get it over with! I don’t care anymore!” His omega whimpers and starts crying.

“Shut up! You don’t mean that!”

“Then what do you want?! Because I am not mating someone who happens to kidnap me and tie me up as soon as we-!”

“Shut UP!” Shizuo snatches the lukewarm rag off the top of the omega’s head and stuffs it Izaya’s mouth to make him stop saying those terrible things. “Shut up! I already told you I know you don’t want to mate me yet! I know we just met! I’m not mating you until you want me to so just shut up about it!”

He grabs an old cardboard box from under his bed. It’s what passes for his tool box. It’s mostly various odds and ends and only has three actual tools inside. What it does have is tape. He tears off a strip of duct tape with his teeth and slaps it over the omega’s mouth to keep him from spitting out the rag.

“Just…” Shizuo takes a shaky breath and feels his anxiety start to ebb away almost immediately now that he’s not being yelled at. “I’m sorry. Just be quiet. I can’t… You need to stop talking.”

He sits on the side of the bed with his head in his hands and takes a few more long, calming breaths before he can look at his omega again.

“Okay… It’s going to be okay. I’ve never done this before and I guess it’s new for you too but… But I’m going to take care of you. Please, try to relax.”

His omega whimpers but he goes limp for now, just lightly trembling. It puts Shizuo at ease and makes him feel like he can do this. For once in his life, he’s hoping that alpha leadership whatever will come through for him. He wishes he could stroke his hair, or wipe away those tears, but he needs to keep his promise. He’s not going to hurt his mate.

“So… um… I guess you can just blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you want another damp towel? Maybe something bigger would be more helpful?”

The omega shakes his head and glares.

“Oh, right! I guess you could just shake your head, that works too.” Shizuo laughs awkwardly at having missed something so obvious. “So no towel, huh? Well, blink three times if you change your mind.”

The omega just stares at him and Shizuo can’t help but blush a bit. Now that they’re not fighting and he’s calmed down Shizuo can appreciate how beautiful this person is.

“Uh, you probably get this all the time but…” Shizuo runs a hand through his hair nervously. “You have really pretty eyes, y’know?”

The omega rolls his eyes and closes them so Shizuo can’t look at them anymore. Shizuo’s brow twitches in annoyance.

“Right. I guess you’re tired of hearing that.”

The omega shakes his head but keeps his eyes closed. He sighs through his duct tape while still trembling.

“You’re not tired of hearing that? You’re embarrassed then.” Shizuo chuckles at the unexpectedly cute behavior of the omega. When he calms down, will he be this cute all the time? Shizuo thinks that might be nice.

“Sorry, I don’t have a TV to take your mind off things, but I’ve got some books. Maybe I could read to you a bit if you need a distraction?”

The omega shakes his head violently.

“No? Well… Maybe you’ll change your mind if things start to get rough. I’ve been reading this really good one lately, it always helps me calm down.”

But right as Shizuo says that things aren’t calm anymore. His omega makes a high, pained whining sound from behind the makeshift gag and starts thrashing again. But this time it doesn’t seem to be out of anger. It just seems desperate.

“Oh, shit. Shit…” Shizuo mutters to himself and tenses up again. Just as he was enjoying the peace.

The omega whimpers again, letting loose a string of high, desperate moans into the gag. He thrashes his legs about, almost kicking Shizuo again, before digging his heels into the mattress and arching up in search of relief that Shizuo isn’t going to give him. Shizuo doesn’t want to even try and imagine what he might be saying right now if he could.

Shizuo grabs his omega’s ankles and pulls them down towards the bottom of the bed to keep him flat on the bed and restrain him better. Even the skin of his ankles burns Shizuo’s hands and his instincts scream at him to do something about this omega. But he pushes them all down.

“Sshhh, ssshhh…” He tries to hush his omega. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay…”

It doesn’t work. It’s almost like the omega can’t hear him at all. If anything, he becomes more frantic. He cries into the gag and tries to curl into himself but can’t because Shizuo’s holding him down, practically convulsing with need. Tears stream down the sides of his omega’s face and drool slips out from the side of the gag as he struggles uselessly against the bonds and Shizuo’s strength.

Shizuo looks around the room desperately, trying to come up with something, anything, to placate his omega. But there’s nothing. He has nothing to help an omega in heat. Why would he? He’s a broke alpha who could never afford an omega of his own, adopting one from even the most run-down shelters costs more than what he makes in a year.

Shizuo wants to help him. Needs to help him. But if he touches this omega anymore he will break his promise.

He moves fast, trying something that he has no idea if it’ll work or not. He brings his right knee up to keep the omega’s left leg pinned while he reaches up to grab one of the two pillows he owns, the one his omega was only partially leaning on and hopefully won’t miss for a bit, and presses it down onto the omega’s crotch to provide friction.

The omega jolts like he’s been electrocuted, screaming into the gag and Shizuo can’t tell if it’s too much or not enough. He knows this isn’t what the omega needs as thick, sweet slick soaks his bed sheets, but Shizuo doesn’t have anything for that except his dick and he already said he wouldn’t so he isn’t going to do that. So maybe this’ll be enough for now? Maybe-

His omega sobs into the gag, shaking like he’s freezing cold. Then, his pretty eyes roll back and he faints.

Once again, Shizuo is left in his silent room with an unconscious omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rukazaya: Thank you for reading and we love the reviews!
> 
> Bad_Romance: Thank you all for the wonderful support on the first chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

 

People are born with many different talents.

Some have more talents than others, while some are born gifted. Some are lucky enough to be born with photographic memories while others have more artistic senses that non-genius just can’t mimic, even with years of experience.

Being born low rank or high rank is something similar. Although it doesn’t always determine their future, it determines where their starting line is and the prejudices they are raised with.

It is possible for a low rank omega to rise up and become someone of great station, however this is extremely rare. Not because they’re not capable but because of their situation. A low rank omega is unable to resist the command and pheromones of alphas or even some betas while in heat, making them pretty much incapacitated during their cycle. This is why no one wants to keep or marry a D rank omega. If they ever walk outside while in heat in public, they’ll be treated like a public toilet, while everyone takes their turns dumping cum into them. The low rank omegas themselves will desperately seek sex, their bodies demanding it even if they don’t want to become a public ‘sex toy’. However, the amount of pheromones that they produce is so low, most alpha and betas can resist them. The higher the rank an omega is, the harder it will be for alphas and betas to resist their heat scent, making them much more desirable and rare. A higher ranking omega can resist lower ranking alpha’s pheromones as well.

For alphas, being born a low rank is no different than a low ranking omega. D ranks are the weakest alphas, and any higher ranking alphas can use a ‘command’ on them. A ‘command’ is when someone of a higher rank ‘orders’ the other lower rank to listen and follow an order. It is a form closer to intimidation rather than hypnosis or mind control. It could be anything as easy as ‘shut up’ all the way to ‘give me your seat,’ while taking public transit. Of course, using a command is a crime in many cases. But the fact that a higher ranking alpha can always keep tabs on the lower ranking alpha makes it very difficult for any low rank to climb the ladder in society.

Betas are unique because they can conceive like the omegas and impregnate like the alphas. However, they do not have heat cycles and they give off pheromones only when in presence of omega’s heat more as a reaction to the circumstances. A high ranking beta can resist most pheromones given off by omega and alphas, depending on their respective levels.

It gets more complicated when someone throws in the higher ranking omegas in with the low rank alpha and different levels of betas in the mix, but overall, being born a low rank is a bad thing, while being born an A rank is envied by all.

So when Izaya did not have any heat during his preteen or teen years but the x-rays showed that his body had the capacity to have a womb, he wasn’t particularly worried. His parents were betas, his sisters were betas, and his grand parents were all betas. He expected himself to be a beta and lived as one.

Until his first heat came at the age of 19.

 

* * *

 

Izaya wakes up to the jerking sensation of pain. It is numbing, and throbbing, needle-pricking-like sensation that rudely wakes his body. He groans as he opens his eyes to the dull light filtering through the dirty curtains of the low level apartment building.

“Good morning.”

He blinks his eyes to adjust to the light and faces his captor, smiling at him from across the bed.

“Or should I say good afternoon. It’s not exactly morning anymore.”

Izaya watches this blond scratch his head as if he is apologizing. He looks up to see that the man had changed his bonds from scratchy rope to soft nylon rope. It still hurt when stretched… and is harder to rip with a tug. Not that Izaya was ever strong enough to rip a hemp rope twined around his wrist several times.

“I know you still can’t talk. I wasn’t sure how calm you’d be when you woke up, so sorry about that.”

Izaya rolls his eyes and sighs at the gag still in his mouth. At least it’s not a rag anymore… but it feels like a plastic ball with a strap around the back of his head. He tries rolling it in his tongue but he can’t. It makes his tongue flat and forcefully placed down and immobile. It also forces him to drool even if he can breath fine. He can’t see it but Izaya has a feeling that Shizuo had gotten him a gagball

“So, I uh- I got some stuff while you were sleeping.” He tries to explain. Well no shit.

“Since you’ll be staying here for a bit I used some of the money I had saved to get you some nicer things.” Shizuo fidgets with the cuff of his sleeve. Why the man did not use the diamonds and pearls that Izaya was wearing earlier was beyond him. Did he throw them away? Izaya tries to crane his neck to see but he can’t see what’s in the corner of the room anymore where Shizuo had tossed the silk garment.

“I wasn’t really sure what you’d want but I found this place up town that sells all kinds of fancy shit that’s supposed to be for omegas.”

Izaya let’s out a deep sigh. Fancy shit for omegas. He never thought he’d have to be using these omega items and now the reality hits him pretty hard.

“Are you hungry yet? Or thirsty? You’ve been like that for awhile.”

Izaya still feels the numbing pain more than hunger. If anything, he is hungry and thirsty for someone’s cock, a sensation he is still not used to. But he can think a bit better after his sleep so he nods carefully. At least if has to eat or drink, the gag might come off? He hopes that Shizuo won’t be forcing food down his throat with the gag still in place.

The blond man seems visibly relieved Izaya is accepting something from him and walks out of the only door in the room as opposed to the makeshift curtain that was the ‘door’ that lead to the bathroom. He leaves it open and Izaya can see a piece of a kitchenette and some shabby plants by a dirty window. From his vantage point, there are only three routes of escape route, one is the window that is probably too high for him to jump out of, the bathroom that Izaya isn’t sure leads to an exit (probably not), and that one door that leads to the kitchen; his best bet out of this hell hole.

Shizuo bustles around the kitchen for a bit, glancing back through the door at Izaya every so often, as if Izaya can go anywhere. After a few minutes, he comes back with a cup of water in one hand and a steaming bowl of rice topped with sliced, hard-boiled eggs in the other. Izaya blinks at the poor-man’s food he hasn’t had in awhile. At least it’s not just rice and soy sauce?

“Sorry, this is all I have right now. I mean, I’ve got salt and pepper if you’d like? And I think there’s some soy sauce left.”

Oh so he is running out of soy sauce. Salt and pepper? In rice? Gross! Izaya forces himself not to cringe at the idea. He has to be on his best behavior if that gag is _ever_ coming off. He nods again.

Shizuo frowns in confusion to Izaya’s nod that does nothing to help him respond to anything that isn’t a yes or no question. He places the dishes on the side table and unclips the gag around Izaya’s mouth.

“What was that?”

“I can eat that, thank you.” Izaya tries to reply agreeably despite that his ass is itching with the thick lubrication still dripping out of him. It’s coated his insides by now and it feels so disgusting.

Shizuo nods and helps Izaya drink the water first. Izaya frowns as he realizes, he didn’t think this through. _HIS HANDS ARE STILL TIED UP!_ Now this creep has to spoon feed him! For the upteenth time, Izaya forces himself not to groan.

Izaya is however, grateful for the water. He hasn’t realized how thirsty he’s been, no thanks to the gagball he was given which forced him to drool throughout his sleep. The man sits on the side of the bed and pulls the bowl of rice into his lap. He picks up an egg slice with chopsticks and offers it to Izaya. The only thing he can do is open his mouth to accept the offering since he can’t even move an inch closer.

The blond smiles, seeming to be genuinely happy that Izaya is obeying him quietly. Izaya might even consider him charming, if he wasn’t being held here against his will, of course. Izaya chews slowly and swallows. There isn’t any specific taste or after-taste that could be drugs or poison, granted this man is probably too poor for any of that. Besides, if Shizuo wants him, he can take him any time he wants without any sex drugs.

After swallowing, Izaya opens his mouth again, silently asking for more. In fact, he’s famished. He hasn’t had food since a day ago. Even this rice with hard boiled egg tastes good.

“I wish I had more I could give you…” Shizuo sighs. “You’re really skinny.”

By now, Izaya knows that asking to take off the shackles doesn’t work on this man. So he tries something different.

“What else… did you buy me?” Izaya tries to smile back. He needs this man to love him. He’ll start by trying to get him to gift him other things perhaps. Freedom being the ‘gift’ he’ll ask later after strings of favors.

The man manages to blush, which surprises Izaya. “Ah, y’know, just… some stuff for your heat. Since we’re not mating yet I figure you need something to… ah, make it a little better. Right?”

“Like… what stuff? And can I have more rice please.”

“Of course.” He picks up more rice and offers it to Izaya which he ‘ _gratefully_ ’ accepts. “When I asked the people at the shop they didn’t believe I had an omega, at first. But then I… uh… asked again. Then they were real helpful.”

Izaya carefully chews both the rice and that information. So when he asked ‘again,’ they were more helpful. Most omega toy shop owners are betas, or in some cases alphas, who are resistant to ‘command’ skills so that the alphas who comes to buy from their store don’t abuse their ‘commands’. Izaya isn’t sure if this man had used a command or just some verbal and physical threat but he pockets that information into his head while the heat hasn’t completely taken over his sanity.

“They showed me some stuff for new omegas, so I got an average sized… Y’know... “ Shizuo’s voice lowers like he’s shy. “A regular sized d-dildo. And this, um,” He gives Izaya more rice. “This candle that supposed to give off this special relaxing smell or something?”

Oh, the candle. As opposed to the more effective suppressants. Izaya forces himself not to roll his eyes and then chokes on the rice, trying to clear his throat.  
  
W-wait. DILDO?!

Izaya can’t believe still that he is born an omega and now will have to use a dildo for his… oh god. He really isn’t liking this development at all. He still hadn’t gotten a clear reality check about his new-found status as an omega but to be captive to an unknown alpha… most people would break at this point.

Shizuo notices Izaya choking on the food and rushes to give him water. This time, Izaya really gladly accepts it. After swallowing some and spilling more, he tries to move his head away to let him know, he doesn’t need more. This whole thing is rather cumbersome as more water soaks his neckline than he can drink. But he’ll manage. For now. It is a small sacrifice for any way for Izaya to get a leverage on this man.

“Y-you said… a dildo? And more egg please?” Izaya tries to keep asking for food so he has something to chew while Shizuo talks. This way he has some time to ‘think’ on what Shizuo says without appearing conniving. Hopefully.

At least the man seems as if he isn’t suspecting a thing as he gladly gives Izaya another slice of egg. “Y-yeah, I just got the most normal looking one they had cause… I know you said… this is your second heat?”

Izaya nods slowly as he chews. The first heat was bad. Izaya still remembers how horrible it felt. And the craziness that happened at his first day of class at the university. Izaya remembers waking up that morning feeling groggy and his body feeling heavy as if he was sick. But it was his first day which he entered the university with a scholarship, he didn’t plan to miss it. He came to class, dropped his bags and sat down. It was about mid-way through the class as the professor was introducing the textbooks they were to read in their semester when things became chaotic. Izaya was feeling dizzy and with a headache. He was having hard time focusing. And the other students around him were starting to act weird, as if they were twitching or sniffing. Some looking around the class when everything happened suddenly. The girl sitting next to him grabbed Izaya by the shoulder and shook him. Izaya didn’t realize he had fallen asleep in middle of class. He’s never fallen asleep in the middle of class. Then the girl’s eyes had widened and tried to bite him.

Izaya remembers barely escaping the class with the entire classroom turning on him like hungry wolves. Even the professor had started chasing him down. Eventually, everyone in the hallway and anyone in the vicinity was chasing Izaya down to the point that his only option was to find the omega safe house. Izaya didn’t believe he was in heat but he couldn’t think of any other way to escape the mob. He remembers being tested as an omega at the safe house to his chagrin and completely disbelief despite being reassured by everyone that the test is accurate and fail-proof.

He was in heat. At the age of 19.

“You just… you seem a little old to be recently presented?”

This time Izaya’s scoff is honest. “Tell me about it. I thought I was a beta until a month ago.”

Shizuo flinches in empathy. “Shit, seriously? No wonder you’re so freaked out about all this.”

Shizuo looks down and pushes around what’s left of the meal with the chopsticks.

“They say that the first few heats are going to be painful… but you’ll get used to it. Can I… ask… Why were you wearing that stuff when I found you on the street?”

Shit, Izaya should have continued the line of conversation himself before this man asks awkward questions and this is definitely one of those ‘awkward questions.’

“I… would rather not answer.” Playing hard to get isn’t bad right? It could be strategic if Izaya plays his card right. Just like not asking to be untied. He’ll have to get this man to think that he himself wants Izaya to be untied. And with that, he decides to change the subject.

“Ne… can I see… the dildo you got for me?”

“Sorry if that’s a bad memory, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.” The blond fumbles a bit with the bowl before placing it safely on the side table. “Uh, sure.” He continues as he leans down to grab a shopping bag from under the bed. The bag itself is sleek, black, and sprayed with some kind of perfume. It’s easily the most stylish item in the whole building. Shizuo reaches inside a pulls out a dildo, still in its packaging that is probably 5 ½ to 6 inches long. It’s probably a normal standard size but it looks abnormally big to Izaya, especially since that’s suppose to go _inside_ him.

“Do you think this’ll be alright?

“...” Izaya realizes after several seconds that Shizuo had asked him a question. “Uh-y-yeah. S-sorry I just…” He just never thought he’d be taking one up his ass. “I… I really need one. Soon I think.” Because some asshole decided to not give him his pills.

Shizuo blushes a deep red. Izaya is learning that… this man can somehow resist his heat pheromone but his mind is still almost innocent like that of a child when it came to sex. Or anything sexual perhaps. “Oh. Like. Right now or…? I-I’ll just open this for you.” He rips open the thick, plastic packaging easily, although perhaps fumbling at it with his nervous fingers. But what does catch Izaya’s attention is that it’s like the blond is tearing a sheet of paper instead of a sheet of thick plastic.

Huh.

He didn’t think omega stores were so cheap that they would package their dildos in cheap packaging but okay.

“Y-yes… it… it really does hurt. Inside me. C-can you… put it in? Slowly?”

Izaya does need it, that’s no lie. He can feel that his lubrication has soaked the mattress under him. The scent of his lube is so thick in the air, how is this alpha not affected?

Maybe he is a high rank beta? That still doesn’t explain much to Izaya.

Shizuo takes a deep, shuddering breath and his eyes dart down to Izaya’s soaking crotch which he’s been pointedly ignoring this whole time.

“I… I don’t know. It’s just… you smell really, _really_ good and I don’t want to… break my promise.”

“Alright. D-don’t have to touch me. J-just… carefully put it inside me and… turn it on.”

He’s playing a very dangerous game, he knows that. But he wants this man to find him to be irresistible, not because of the heat, but in everything. Sex appeal included. So he spreads his legs open for the man provocatively.

“O-okay.” The blond slowly and carefully shifts towards Izaya as if he’s worried he’ll startle the man who just spread his legs for him by seeming too eager. But the way his hands tremble reveal how excited, or maybe nervous, he really is.

“Just put it in? Are sure sure you don’t need to be… stretched out?”

“....Just insert the tip first…”

It is his first time. He knows this will hurt. But he also knows that if this man touches his skin or his discharge, the blond might be unable to hold himself back anymore.

“It’ll be fine,” says Izaya, mostly to himself. “I mean… my ass is suppose to stretch right? Just go slow…”

He watches the man swallow hard as if he’s gearing up for some serious self control and shifts on the bed so they’re facing each other. Izaya watches as the blond’s eyes flicker from his face to the parted legs, specifically the soaked, unmated entrance. Slowly, the man brings the dildo closer to Izaya and seems to have difficult time holding it steady with his shaky hands. Izaya waits with baited breath before sharply taking in as the tip touches his rim.

“If… if you need me to stop or… anything else… just say so.”

Slowly, with a bit of force, he manages to push the tip into Izaya. He is clearly an amature at this just like Izaya is because the raven haired gasps and cries out as the dildo goes in deeper and stretches him in ways it feels completely weird. It doesn’t hurt… yet. But he has a feeling, it will soon.

Izaya is almost grateful for the pause, not seeing that the blond too had paused, sucking in a few deep, shaky breaths and glancing up at Izaya’s face to search for pain. When Izaya finally comes to his senses from the aftershock of being ‘filled’, he notices the blond wetting his lips again and again as if they’re too dry.

Then the blond starts to push the dildo forward, their breathes getting more and more ragged. Izaya gasps again and again as the dildo is pushed in deeper and deeper… deeper than anything else that has gone inside him. This is his first time, and he’s losing his virginity to a fucking plastic toy. He cringes a bit at the thought while the blond swallows visibly a few more times and when the man pushes it in the last few centimeters his whole body shudders like he’s the one being touched.

But it’s the final push that makes Izaya cries out and comes hard. He splatters the warm cum all over his stomach at the sudden orgasm and his cock hardening while it’s brushed against something inside that makes him feel incredible. Blissful even while his mind blanks out briefly from the ecstasy.

“Hnnngh… aaah…. Haaa….” Izaya pants hard, trying to focus his eyes. The foreign object inside him makes his ass throb, the lubrication thick and slick… it’s as if his ass was totally ready for this even if Izaya wasn’t mentally prepared.

“I… I’m fine.” Izaya manages to say, mostly to himself. “I’m fine. Haha… it’s too bad… this… is my first time.” First time for a lot of things actually, including being kidnapped and being fucked by a toy from a stranger, not to mention having sexual experience in front of someone else. But his body thinks it feels good, despite what Izaya wants. Izaya also doesn’t like the fact that the blond’s eyes look wild and there’s clearly a visible bulge in his pants.

“Ah… I didn’t expect you to… oh…” Shizuo’s eyes lock onto the cum splattered on Izaya’s stomach and his free hand twitches towards it. Like he wants to touch it. But luckily for Izaya, he restrains himself and grips his bed sheets instead. “Do you want me to keep going?” His eyes lock back onto Izaya’s with the intensity of an apex predator that the raven did not like and the blond is breathing like a gorilla. Not a good sign.

“J-just turn on the… thing. And leave it on for me. Oh and…” Izaya swallows hard. This is a gamble. A big gamble… “And please put the gag back on for me?”

Yes, he knows that with a gag on, he can’t tell Shizuo when to turn off the vibrator. Most likely he’ll just faint from the constant stimulation. But that’s also what he wants. He knows the omega’s body in heat needs the constant stimulation and that he himself does not want to talk to Shizuo during his ecstasy. So by forcing the gag back into his mouth, he won’t have to interact with the blond at all. Hopefully. At least Izaya has analyzed by now that this man really doesn’t mean any ‘real’ harm. So it should be safe for Izaya to be gagged and left alone with a dildo in his ass turned on. If he had wanted to fuck him, Shizuo would have done so. Since he hasn’t done so, then Izaya is safe to deduce that perhaps he can trust him with the extra power of making him ‘think’ that he’s in control. Just enough to buy him some trust.

The man obviously looks startled by the request. “ _What?_ Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if it’s too much? What if something goes wrong?”

“It’ll be fine. I trust you.” And with that Izaya hopes that he has stolen this man’s heart. At least partially. He closes his eyes and waits for it.

 

 

* * *

 

Shizuo’s lower lip trembles at the omega’s shockingly emotional words. He wasn’t expecting trust so soon and it would be suspicious if Shizuo didn’t want to believe it so damn bad. He glances down at the omega - at _Izaya’s_ \- lips and thinks about how they might taste. But he doesn’t lean forward to find out. Izaya just said he _trusted_ him.

Shizuo finds himself nodding. “O-okay. Whatever you want.”

He lets go of the dildo and reaches for the gag, gently pushes it into his mouth, and secures it behind his head. Just like Izaya wanted. His hand drops again to fumble for the switch on the base of the toy, jumping when he accidentally dips his fingers in some of Izaya’s warm fluids, and with one last glance at Izaya for any signs of reluctance, he flips the switch on.

Izaya convulses and shakes and curls his legs together and whimpers. Then he starts to moan into the gag. The immediate and severe reaction has Shizuo’s cock twitching in his pants. For an instant he forgets why his cock isn’t making this omega moan and he almost lunges for Izaya. He snaps himself out of it just in time to stay in place, but all the will and reason in the world wouldn’t be enough to get Shizuo to leave that room. Not when his omega clearly _needs_ his alpha to be there for him.

He watches as Izaya falls apart, and Shizuo’s never wanted anything more in his life. He probably will never want anything more than he wants this omega, right here. He doesn’t give a shit about his job, his status, or the kind of trouble he’ll be in if anyone finds out he’s rescued this omega from what would have most likely been a life of sex slavery. Izaya comes again. And again. It’s all happening so fast and between the lube dripping out of his clenching ass, the cum coating his abdomen from his cock, and the drool dripping down his beautiful face Shizuo has no idea where to look. And the _smell._ It’s too much. Shizuo’s not even touching Izaya and it’s almost too much stimulation for him.

Izaya starts twisting in his bonds, arching his back as he comes yet again and still tries to turn over to hump Shizuo’s bed for more. And damn does Shizuo want to see that. He didn’t wash the pillow he had pressed to Izaya’s crotch the last time and couldn’t seem to pull himself away from it after Izaya had passed out. Last night, he had sat at the foot of his bed for hours, huffing the scent from it and shoving the damp fabric into his mouth like some kind of creep.

But it’ll be better when Izaya agrees not to leave him. Because then he’ll be able to untie Izaya and let Izaya hump his bed and Shizuo will get to sleep in the bed his omega has come in and sweat on and saturated with that heavenly smell.

Despite not receiving any of the stimulation to his cock that Izaya was searching for, he comes a fourth time since the vibrations have be switched on. It’s not as thick as it was before but the sounds Izaya makes into the gag as his orgasm is ripped out of him have Shizuo’s hand flying to his own cock. He can’t take it anymore. Izaya won’t mind, right? Even if he was aware enough to realize… It’s okay as long as he keeps his promise about not mating Izaya yet.

He pulls his cock out of his pants and jerks it fast, not bothering with any sort of lube for himself. He’s just desperate to come. So desperate and with the scent of his omega so thick and needy, Shizuo wonders if it’ll make him form a knot in his own fist.

“I-Izaya… Izaya… I want you so much...” He groans, pumping his hand faster and faster with his eyes trained on Izaya’s writhing body. Even without the gag, Shizuo doubts Izaya would be able to respond. But he doesn’t care. He loves the way Izaya’s name feels on his lips.

Not being able to touch his omega is pure agony. Every cell in Shizuo’s body screams at him to be connected to Izaya. He needs it.

“Oh fuck, Izaya, _I want you so much_ …” He moans. Just as he says it, Izaya convulses again as he comes dry. In that moment Shizuo is sure Izaya wants him too.

But he promised Izaya. He promised and Izaya… Izaya said he _trusted-_

With a purely animalistic growl, that thought is enough to make Shizuo come just as Izaya is tumbling through another dry orgasm..

He pumps his cock through his orgasm, spilling his cum on the sheets between Izaya’s legs instead of inside of him like he wants to and tieing them together the way they’re meant to be.

Shizuo will wait as long as Izaya needs him to, but he will convince him that they’re meant to be mates. This omega was meant for him, Shizuo is sure of it.

Tears spill from the corners of Izaya’s eyes as he thrashes even more frantically and Shizuo can’t tell if Izaya is trying to get away from the dildo or push it in deeper. Strangely, he’s not too concerned about it. His head is fuzzy and at the moment Shizuo’s just wondering about whether or not it would be too risky for him to hump Izaya’s thigh for another orgasm of his own. With a pained cry into the gag, Izaya has one more dry orgasm before he blacks out.

 

* * *

 

Shizuo is reluctant to move even after Izaya stirs into consciousness. He’s so comfortable right here, and if Izaya’s awake he’s sure he’ll be asked to move.

After Izaya fainted Shizuo removed the dildo and gag right away, then cleaned him up.

Well, okay, he cleaned Izaya up after shooting his load of cum across his hips and upper thighs, but Izaya doesn’t need to know that.

He wanted to lick Izaya clean of his lubricant, sweat, and drool, but knew that would’ve broken his self-restraint. Reluctantly, he settled for a damp rag. There wasn’t much he could do about the soaked sheets with Izaya on them, and Shizuo was ready to sleep. He hadn’t the night before and did come twice. Still, he didn’t think Izaya would want to wake up in something that cold and sticky, so he lifted Izaya's lower body just enough to spread a towel out under him. Hopefully that would be enough.

Then, Shizuo crawled between his omega’s legs and laid his head on Izaya’s warm stomach to doze with the lower half of his body dangling off the bed. He soaks up the scent and what was left of the salty taste on the silky skin, satisfied at having taken better care of Izaya this time around despite not having mated him yet. Things are looking up.

It takes Izaya a moment it shake off the sleep and Shizuo nuzzles into to softness of Izaya’s stomach, wishing for more time and taking in as much of the texture with his cheek and lips as he can before Izaya can find his words.

“I…” The soft voice grabs Shizuo’s attention and he immediately looks up at his omega.

Izaya flushes a bit before lowering his long eyelashes. “I need to use the restroom.”

Shizuo blinks, wondering how he could’ve forgotten such an obvious detail.

“Oh. Uh, of course.”

Shizuo’s reluctant to untie Izaya and wonders for a bit if there’s any way he can keep him restrained. He decides to untie Izaya from the bed but leave his hands tied together to limit his movements.

“Erm… I do want to… wipe my own butt if that’s okay…”  But Izaya phrases it as a suggestion, just in case Shizuo wants to wipe Izaya’s butt and wants to keep his hands tied. He does trust him, after all.

Shizuo almost face-palms at his own stupidity. He knows there is one way out of his apartment though the bathroom. There’s a little window next to the shower, but it’s too tiny for most people to crawl out of so he isn’t too worried. He still wishes there was a way to keep Izaya restrained for his own piece of mind but… Hell, he doesn’t even know if that window opens. He’s never tried it.

Despite Izaya having framed it as a suggestion, he’s sure Izaya will want some privacy and the last thing he wants is to make Izaya hate him for not giving it to him. Not now when everything is going so wonderfully.

Besides, Izaya trusts him.

Shizuo unties Izaya’s hands and is sure to take his time so he doesn’t get frustrated with the knots and break the rope like he did with the last one.

And it’s not like Izaya can lock the curtain and really keep him out. As long as he waits outside the curtain, everything will be fine.

“Sure. Tell me if you need anything.”

Izaya goes to the bathroom and Shizuo follows him, but remains outside of the curtain just like he’s sure Izaya will want him to.

Nothing sounds unusual. Izaya flushes the toilet after use, washes his hands, then turns on the shower. Makes sense he’d want one. Being wiped down with a wet rag and a shower are not the same thing.

Then Izaya screams.

“Yeah. Sorry, I don’t have hot water.”

His little omega curses softly but it’s soon followed by a splashing sound.

“Try just doin’ your arms and legs first and then steppin’ under when you get used to it. After ya get kinda numb ‘s not so bad.”

Shizuo looks around his room, wondering if he should just stand here for the next few minutes or… No. He should change the sheets. Izaya should get to lie on a warm, dry bed when he’s done.

“Do you have a towel?”

“Uh…” Shizuo can’t remember if the towel he laid under Izaya was his last clean one or not. “Check under the sink.”

Shizuo walks away from the curtain to busy himself with stipping the bed. If he’s honest with himself he really doesn’t want to wash these sheets. Not yet anyway. But he can’t let himself get too distracted by tasting Izaya this way right now and if he leaves them they’ll just get crusty. He walks into the kitchen to rinse them under the sink before stuffing them into his laundry bag to bring to the laundry room later.

Shizuo idly wonders if he has anything different to make Izaya for dinner tonight while he walks back into his room. Probably not.

“Hey, did ya find a towel?” He calls.

But nobody answers.

“...Izaya?” He tries again, trying to squash the panic that’s swelling up quickly. Maybe he didn’t hear Shizuo over the shower?

 

…

 

….

  
Shizuo throws the curtain to the bathroom open and sees nothing but a running shower and an open window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rukazaya: Izaya finally escaped!!! Or did he? What ya think guys? Let us know in the review.
> 
> Bad_Romance: That's right everybody. Izaya escaped! Fanfic over, y'all can go home. (lol jk there is much story left so stay tuned!)


	4. Chapter 4

Shizuo rushes to the open window, trying to listen for any sounds but can’t hear anything over the pounding of his own heart in his ears. The wall cracks where he grabs it, a rush of adrenaline sending his strength into thoughtless overdrive in his panic. His apartment’s only on the second floor and isn’t up high enough for Izaya to have killed himself, a small consolation. He looks out the window and doesn’t know what he’s more afraid of. Seeing Izaya on the pavement writhing in pain, or _not seeing Izaya at all._

The street below is completely empty.

There’s no sign of him outside Shizuo’s apartment. No sounds that might point Shizuo in the right direction. As though Shizuo had just completely lost his mind that night outside the bar and imagined the whole thing, which would have been more likely than his future omega literally running into him.

Except he didn’t imagine it, because his apartment is still heavy with the scent of an omega in heat and he can still smell Izaya’s pheromones on the air like a bright red trail has been painted onto the pavement to lead him to Izaya.

He pulls his head back in through the window, still perplexed as to how Izaya could have squeezed himself through a space that could never accommodate Shizuo’s shoulders, when he finally notices something that is actually bright red. A speckle of blood on the left side of the window where the wood is particularly rough.

Izaya must have somehow contorted his body to squeeze through the window, but scraped himself on the way out.

It’s not much blood, but it stands out to Shizuo on the peeling white paint of the window frame like a murder scene. His grip on the wall instinctively tightens, enlarging the crack.

He turns on his heels and sprints out of his apartment, eyes fixed into the middle distance while his mind has drifted off into a helpless state of panic as the alpha inside him takes over and grips onto Izaya’s scent like it’s the only thing keeping him alive.

Before Izaya came into his life, things were okay. Every day went by barely noticed by Shizuo. A routine of work, rent, trying to think of new ways to eat white rice and instant noodles, and counting his change in the laundry room. The only blips of change in his life were the occasional men and women who would come through it. Not many, and even that was mundane. High ranking betas were the only people who could stand to be around him, but even they never stayed longer than a one-night stand. He survived every day by dreaming of saving up enough to finally leave the city. An impossible dream given his paycheck-to-paycheck life, but a dream all the same.

Shizuo rounds another corner into an alley just as empty as the last, but he can’t give up. Izaya can’t have gotten too far, and Shizuo can still smell him. He’s getting close. He knows he is. He’s just hoping Izaya hasn’t been seen or smelled by anyone else. Izaya smells _so good_ and he’s _so beautiful_ and he’s _still naked!_

Shizuo wracks his brain for why Izaya would try to leave him, but it’s all a frantic mess. _Maybe he’s still mad at me for yelling at him to shut up. Maybe he hates what I fed him. Maybe he’s got a childhood friend he promised himself to and is off to be mated and have lots of kids with someone who could support them!_

_No. No, that’s not possible._

Shizuo can’t explain it but he knows they’re meant to be together. There’s some kind of chemistry between them that makes them feel like a set. Like they can’t be apart. It’s powerful and almost scary. Shizuo can’t help but think that if past lives or other universes exists he’s chasing after Izaya there too.

_Maybe he’s just scared of how strong this connection is, and how sudden it all is._

_But damn it, that coward can’t just run away from it!_

Shizuo rounds one more corner that leads out into an open street. He’s only vaguely aware of where he is in relation to his apartment, but that doesn’t matter. He nearly runs right over a man who’s wandering around in the middle of the street.

“Fuck!” He curses, narrowly managing to avoid killing the man by sidestepping before skidding to a halt. Shizuo’s about to shake off the near collision and continue running when the man grabs him by his upper arm.

The man looks dazed, like he’s high off of something pricy and dangerous and… he’s naked. Well, he’s got boxers and shoes but… _what the fuck?_ He’s almost looking at Shizuo, but not quite. He’s not present enough for that. More like he’s looking around him or past him with a big grin on his face. It’s creepy as hell.

“Are you Shizuo?” The man asks. There’s something very ominous about being looked at like that and having a stranger ask you that question.

“Uh, yes?” Shizuo says, a large part of his brain screaming at him to shake this guy off because Izaya’s getting away.

The man’s grin splits wider and he looks oddly relieved.

“Oh, that’s good…” The man sighs, sounding far-off, like he’s floating through a pleasant dream.

Then the man tries to stab Shizuo in the chest with a table knife.

He swings over-hand and it’s too fast and too sudden for Shizuo to get out of the way. He jerks back instinctively with a curse but the knife lands in the center of his chest all the same.

But the cheap metal only bends against the impossible force of Shizuo’s body.

Rage floods Shizuo’s body, covering the icy cold panic with hot fury because some asshole just tried to _kill him_.

Shizuo allows the anger to take over his body. He grabs the confused man by the wrist, crushing all of the bones under his fingers with ease, and throws the man with one hand into the nearest brick building. He doesn’t look at the man twice to see if he’s dead or alive. He starts sprinting down the street again after Izaya’s fainter scent trail, furious about the attempt on his life and even more furious about the time he’s wasted. Izaya’s out here in this psychotic neighborhood alone, in danger, probably still naked and in heat and it’s all Shizuo’s fault for letting him out of his sight!

Following Izaya’s scent takes him to the edges of the A-rank district where that fancy omega shop was. The trail lead him towards a line of shops where he’s stopped by a woman who looks livid.

“You- You look like-! Are you Shizuo?!” She demands, clutching his sleeve.

Shizuo’s so startled by her behavior he doesn’t think twice about answering.

“Yes. Why-?” He narrowly avoids a stream of pepper spray in his eyes. It hits him in the neck as he turns, mostly due to their height difference, and stings the air around him and makes his eyes water.

Adrenaline boils even hotter and his brain doesn’t have time to ask questions or even be confused before his body is tossing her across the street like the man before her.

Shizuo is never normally attacked on the street. Normally when he goes out, people avert their eyes, and some lower classes even cross the street to avoid even walking next to him. The only thing that’s changed since the last time he left his apartment it… Izaya.

_They’re trying to keep me away from Izaya._

Shizuo pushes his body to run even faster. He doesn’t feel exhaustion only a throbbing mixture of rage and fear that is no doubt permeating the neighborhood like a cloud of fog.

When Shizuo sees another man up ahead looking around like a rabid zombie with a pipe in one hand and cupping his crotch with the other, he’s ready. This man calls out to Shizuo.

“You look like… a blond man named Shizuo. Are you Shizuo?” He shouts, pointing at Shizuo with the pipe like he’s picking a fight.

This time, Shizuo doesn’t stop. He runs right over the man, trampling him to the ground.

He’s halfway down the street with an unconscious man behind him when a spark of reason flickers into Shizuo’s mind.

_Fuck, I shoulda made him tell me where Izaya is…_

But Izaya’s scent is getting stronger, like Shizuo’s getting close. He can practically feel the bond he knows they have tugging in his chest as he turns to run back into the alleys of the lower ranking districts-

Only to have a brick thrown at his skull.

Shizuo staggers, clutching his spinning head. As his vision clears he looks up to see an old man, looking more craized than the last few. As if whatever these fuckers are high on is getting stronger.

“Tall, blond, ya must be Shizuo.” This man slurs, eyeing up Shizuo. This one brandishes a shard of broken glass that cuts into his own hand, but the far-off look in his eyes makes it obvious he isn’t aware of the blood dripping from his own hand.

“And ya reek of them alphas. Ain’t no two ways ‘bout it. Yer Shizuo ain’t ya?! The alpha that’s keepin’ me from ma sweetheart.”

“What are you talking about? _Tell me_.” Shizuo snarls, but doesn’t attack yet. That tiny, meek voice in the back of his head is telling him he needs answers.

The man quivers and fear prickles into his eyes. Not enough to override the crazy, but enough to make him answer to the command.

“He promised me.” The man says, trembling, like he’s about to go into sensory overload. Shizuo hadn’t even realized how heavily he was commanding this man, but he doesn’t plan on stopping.

“He… He smells so good and he promised me I could fuck ‘em if ah got rid of yous. He said ah could take ‘em home an’-!”

The man is cut off by his own scream and for a moment Shizuo doesn’t even know why. Everything went red and his whole brain shuts down and when he’s back, his vision still tinged red around the edges, the man has dropped the glass shard and is clutching his arm that’s caught in Shizuo’s grip. The man’s arm is bent at the elbow at a ninety degree angle. Except it’s the wrong way and Shizuo can see the bone straining against the skin. He doesn’t have it in him to feel even an inkling of guilt.

“ _Where is he?_ ” Shizuo growls, feeling the absolute certainty of being completely in control wash over him. Even though it’s not Shizuo anymore.

At least, it’s not the Shizuo he usually is.

“He- he went towards the corner o’ Sunshine 60…” The man whimpers, all of the madness gone from his face and replaced with utter terror and agony. “Please, please let me go. Ah won’t get in yer way, _Ah swear_ , Ah didn’t know he was yer-”

“Shut up.” Shizuo snarls and lets the man fall to the ground, cradling his mangled arm uselessly. He turns his attention to something more important than the broken man or the source of all the madness. Finding Izaya.

He runs towards the corner of Sunshine 60 and Izaya’s scent is so heavy he can almost taste it again. Once he gets his hands on Izaya again, he’s not going to let him go ever again…

 

 

* * *

 

 

Izaya knew it was a ‘ _bad_ ’ idea to run away now.  He should take his time to make this captor trust him, that’s one of the first rules of escape. But he also knew that the longer he waited, the harder it would be to escape. So when he saw that miracle window in the bathroom, he hesitated, like the story of a man who tried to escape so many times and was thwarted every single time, that when the wall of his jail finally was torn down, he refused to leave, thinking ‘I won’t be fooled again.

He stares at the window, calculating how high it was and if he could ‘fit’ as he uses the restroom. He stares at the window trying to imagine himself fit through it and escape through that inevitable freedom just beyond the wall as he washes his hands. Then he quietly gets in the tub and looks out to see how high they are.

It is only two stories high. Not enough to die if he jumps out, maybe sprain his bone or two… but he should survive the fall. Izaya actually is very athletic and he had enjoyed a few classes of freestyle jumping and parkouring so he knows how to land without hurting himself ...it just might work.

He turns on the shower to make ‘noise.’ He does curse softly in reflex when the cold water hits him hard. He should have expected that of course, he should have waited outside for the water to turn warmer, but his mind was on other things. Luckily Shizuo didn’t seem to think it was unusual.

After asking for a towel, he listens as Shizuo finally walks away. Then he takes a deep breath and jumps up. The window makes a squeaky noise and Izaya’s heart jumps, turning his head to see if Shizuo would come running through the curtains. But he doesn’t and Izaya quickly tries to push himself through. It’s a bit small but his head fits through. However not his shoulders. He twists and contorts his shoulders, scraping the skin of his right, but he is able to rip his shoulders through.

Then he looks down. The fall is daunting to say the least. On the other hand, staying with this crazy, creepy alpha is worse and that is not the life he wishes for himself.

So he jumps. And rolls as he hits the ground. It hurts as he grabs his left ankle and briefly holds it, while trying not to scream in pain. He gets up with a limp as he starts quickly walking away. He needs to get out of the view from the window. He also needs to get out of here… fast.

He turns around the corner and he does have the modesty to not rush into the main street. He is naked after all. Worse, he is in heat.

However, this is a great chance to test his theory.

He sees a man smoking near the corner, his back to Izaya. But the wind drifts upwards and the man must have caught a whiff of a scent because he turns around suddenly, his eyes widening at the sight.

“Are you… I mean, are you okay?” The man licks his lips as he stares at Izaya’s nudity, clearly trying to change his sentence from ‘are you an omega in heat’ to something he ‘should’ say for the circumstance.

“Well… I’m not but…” Izaya stares at the man in the eye as he feels the energy surge again and commands, “ _lend me your clothes_.”

“Of course.” The man doesn’t even think as he automatically takes off his jacket. Izaya is impressed. So it still does work… he can ‘command’, even though he’s near the end of his ‘heat’ cycle. It’s just… it just doesn’t work on Shizuo for some strange reason.

“Your pants too?” Izaya suggests and the man looks up wild eyed and confused. So Izaya tries again. “ _Your pants. Give them to me as well_.”

The man quickly takes off his pants as if it’s totally normal thing to do in public. So again Izaya knows for sure, this is his command at work, not just because this man is desperate for an omega in heat.

It’s a bit big but with a shirt, jacket, pants and a belt buckle, it’s not so bad. The man even hands him his wallet gladly. In it is his ID, a journalist of C rank beta by the name of Niekawa. A fairly low level, so this isn’t much of a test.

“Thank you, Niekawa-san.” Izaya happily pats him in the head like a good dog who’s done a good trick. “You can go home now and try to find yourself some clothes.”

The man struggles and then suddenly grabs Izaya by his waist.

“I… May I… I mean… I’ve already mated...but….” The man is drooling over him and Izaya is shocked to hear his words. This man is ‘mated’ but is affected by his heat?! Is that even possible?

“I need to… I need you! I’ve never wanted anyone else this much in my life! Please… let me…!” The man starts grabbing at Izaya’s clothes and trying to rip it off roughly. Izaya realizes that the situation is going to get out of control real fast unless-.

“You want me Niekawa-san?” Izaya purrs softly, contradicting his hand which is pushing that face away as the beta tries to bite his neck like a hungry zombie. “You can have me… under one condition.” Izaya struggles to keep this man's teeth at bay.

“C-condition?”

“Yes… you see. There’s an alpha who’s chasing after me. _Take care of him and you can fuck me all you want_.”

The man pauses briefly. “Y-yeah? An alpha? Okay!”  
  
The man starts running off. In the wrong direction!

“He’s blond and tall!” Izaya shouts. “And his name is Shizuo!”

“An alpha! Got to get rid of the alpha!” The man starts rushing away in search of an ‘alpha’ to take care of, and Izaya shakes his head.

Now dressed and loaded with some cash and creditcard, Izaya starts walking faster, still avoiding the main street as he reaches a section for the A-District and their shops.

“Hello, what can I do… oh.” The saleswoman stops as she takes a whiff of a strong scent of the omega in heat walk into her store for the A rank alphas. “I’m sorry, we don’t serve… your kind here.” But she seems affected as she trembles at the scent.

Izaya smiles and nods. “ _I’d like this shirt and that pants please. And those shoes_.”

“Of course.” The woman nods as if she hasn’t even said her previous words as she quickly grabs the black designer shirt, pants and shoes for his size and packs it up. Izaya is very impressed. This is for A-rank alphas. She must at least be B rank beta or an A rank.

“Thanks dear.” Izaya pats her cheek after he discarded his ugly outfit into new fitted ones and took off the tags. He looks much better now and he’s happy to note that he can actually command high ranking betas. So out of curiosity, he adds, “by the way, _what is your rank, if you don’t mind me asking_?”

“A rank beta, sir.” She quivers at the touch as if she’s about to have orgasm.

“An A-rank, huh.” Izaya whistles softly. So he can control A-rank betas… that is indeed an incredible information. He had thought he could, since he was able to escape the Nebula Corporation and he figured that the scientists there were all A-rank betas and some alphas… but this is a solid proof.

As Izaya is about to leave, the girl grabs his wrist. Izaya is almost shocked by how strong the grip is as she starts panting hard and her eyes dilate rapidly.

“Please. I… I need…!”

“Shit.” Izaya rips his wrist away and jumps back as she lunges after him for a bite. An A-rank beta was losing herself over his heat! But right now isn’t the type to analyze that fact.

“W-wait! Stop! There’s this alpha... who’s trying to mate with me! If-if you can get rid of him…. I’m yours.”

“An alpha?” She hisses. “It won’t matter if I mate you now, right?”

Damn this one is smarter.

“Y-yes. But he’s strong. He’ll probably just murder you and take me… or something. He’s a tall blond named Shizuo.”

She thinks about it a second, musing at the thought. At least this one is able to think beyond the idea of ‘sex’. “A tall blond… named Shizuo.”

“He… he’s coming this way. Which is why I needed a different set of clothes… as a disguise.” Izaya tries to spin a likely story. “Please. Take care of him, and I’m free.” Then he adds softly.

“ _I can be yours and yours only_.”

That seems to do the trick. She lets him go but her eyes looked fiercely thirsty. “Tall blond… named Shizuo.”

“Y-yes.”

The woman grabs her purse and rushes out the door, ignoring her shop.

Izaya sighs as he rubs his wrist. His shoulder is still bleeding, his ankle sprained… he’s starting to get more bruises. But he still needs to run away from Shizuo. Somehow, deep inside, he knows that Shizuo can probably smell his scent from miles away. Since it is his last day, his heat isn’t affecting him too much, he can keep his own arousal under some control with his willpower but it looks like he can still use his command ability.

Today would be his only day to use it.

He didn’t really try but he is pretty sure he won’t have his command ability once his heat cycle is over. If he did have the command ability, he would have accidentally used it over the past month after discovering that he is indeed an omega.

Now that he has tested the betas, he should try to find an alpha to test. He is in the A-district right now, maybe he can run into a high class businessman? Or a politician perhaps. Or one of their bodyguards would do.

An omega with a command ability. This is unprecedented. Only alphas have the command ability just like it’s a fact that only omegas can have heat. No wonder the scientists and rankers at the Nebula Corp had wanted to gag him and keep him in strait jacket after his ranking test.

But now he can truly test his abilities without the meddling scientists or weird underground black market where he almost got sold off against his will.

Izaya knows better than to walk out in the open still. Even with his command ability, it’s difficult to control a crowd.

...Controlling a crowd…

Izaya thinks about that. Is that… possible?  That would be incredible if it’s possible. Some alphas, A-rank of course, can influence mass crowds. So could he possibly…

...but he is in last day of his heat. It could get chaotic like that time at the Nebula Corp. It could also get ugly if Izaya can’t control his own heat and arousal. He was only able to control himself since he was near the betas but… if he was near the pheromone of a high ranking alpha… it could spell trouble.  
  
So for now, he decides, safety first.

… He should call Kadota.

Kadota is his best friend from childhood. He had forgotten about him due to all the chaos but he knows his own sisters and parents probably would think he is fine and won’t worry but… Kadota would worry.

“I should look for a phone booth.” Izaya steps out of the shop carefully, watching the road. He discreetly tries to walk around the alleyway, trying to get back into the B or C District where it would be easier to find public phone booth.

Izaya is dashing down the narrow path when he trips and falls.

“Why… look who we have here…” There’s a sleazy voice hovering over his head as Izaya groans and tries to look up. “Is this an omega in heat?” The man laughs as he picks him up. Izaya is a bit dazed from falling straight into the concrete ground. He didn’t see anything… the man must have been hiding behind a trash dumpster and tripped him.  He sniffs Izaya like he’s a  fresh batch of cocaine.

“Mmm… unmated too. Are you looking for an alpha to dump their cum into you? Feeling that desperate? You don’t need to look further.”

Izaya groans, trying to get his shit together to command but the man roughly slams him against the wall, knocking his head again. His head rings and he knows he’s in for real trouble soon unless he does something. He struggles to push him off as the man starts unbuckling his pants.

“I haven’t had a good toilet in a while… you omegas can get real expensive, even the D-ranks. Fuck, I thought of buying my own but… well. I can always catch some desperate D-rankers to jack off to… but man… you smell so good. I feel like you’re my soulmate. That’s a high praise since I’m a B-rank, ya know.” He keeps sniffing Izaya just like Shizuo had, licking him. The teeth lightly grazing his neck as if he wants a good, hard bite.  Izaya is about to shout a command and push him off but the alpha punches him hard in the face. He staggers in shock, trying to blink away the pain but the alpha's already ahead of him. Their pants are undone and the man rubs their crotches together and Izaya feels sick. He didn’t feel this sick with Shizuo. Sure he was… creepy but this is a whole lot worse.

“S- _stop_ !” Izaya commands hard. The man pauses. Izaya huffs hard but he quickly issues another command. “ _Unhand me_.”

The man let’s go, confused but obeying. He swallows hard as his hands twitch, wanting to grab him but can’t.  Izaya knows that his ‘command’ won’t last long for this one. A B-rank alpha. So he can control them too… although it seems more briefly.

“Do you… want me that badly?” Izaya tries, touching his own head. It hurt… a lot but he needed to think. And fast.

The man shakes his head vigorously. “I want to fuck your brains out… and then fuck you until you faint… and then fuck you until…”

“Okay, I got it.” Izaya stops him. Okay, ew… but the man wasn’t done. In fact his crotch was slowly getting wet as he ...came at the idea of fucking Izaya it seems. He is also drooling like a slobbery dog. It seems this effect isn’t just exclusive to Shizuo… Izaya seems to affect the alphas all in similar manner when he is in heat.

“Then I want to fuck you against the wall! Then fuck you against the floor! Then fuck you against the…!”

“Okay. Yes. you want to fuck me. Got it. And you can do that.” Izaya realizes his mistake as the man suddenly grabs him again to slam him against the wall and starts to madly thrust his hip.

“F-fuck! Okay! No! I meant, yes! You can fuck me, _only if you can take care of someone!_ ” Izaya shouts to get through this man’s head. The man’s panting so hard and his drool had pooled to the point that it is dripping down like a fountain.

“Y-yeah? Yeah! Okay! What?” he pauses just enough to stop dry humping Izaya.

“You mean, ‘who.’ T-there’s a man… named Shizuo. He’s a blond. Taller than you. He wants me to be his mate…”

“OH FUCKING HELL NO. I’M GONNA FUCKING FUCK YOU SO HARD THAT I-” The man starts humping Izaya rough and hard again and Izaya cringes in pain.

“Yes! I got it. You want to fuck me! Go take care of him and you can!”

The man immediately drops Izaya and runs off, holding his crotch that’s clearly wetting the front of his pants.

….geez that was a close call.

A B-rank alpha…

They are harder to control it seems. Well once you can get through their thick skull, it’s a bit easier. Maybe this one was just dumber.

Izaya shivers at the idea of being a public toilet. He definitely does not want that. And it seems that’s what everyone will think if he’s out in the streets. A D-rank omega, looking for anyone to relieve his unbearable heat.

So far none of the betas or alpha’s pheromones have affected his heat enough for Izaya to lose control of himself but he shudders at the possibility. He knows… that he loses his self control in front of Shizuo. He must be a higher ranking alpha. Is he an A-rank? He was able to control a B-rank alpha so…Izaya wants to know his own limitation on his command ability fast. Faster he finds out, the better.

Izaya is more careful now as he runs through the alleyway. There could be hoodlums lurking in the corner like that one guy. He picks his way through until he finally makes it past the B-District to the C-District. It isn’t much safer here but he didn’t find any nearby telephone booths at the B-District so…

...Why is his own house and Kadota’s so freaking far away? If it was closer, he would have just ran back home but the Nebula might be waiting for him at his house or the safe houses. Kadota’s is probably safer but he would have to take a train to get there. Walking would take more than an hour and that’s a whole lot more dangerous since he can’t just get there by alleyways.

Still, he does his best to be stealthy as he looks for a phone booth. Unfortunately with the latest technology of everyone carrying cellphones, finding a public phone booth is almost impossible. But Izaya remembers a few of them near the train station. However, another problem lies… that the train stations are usually crowded with people. And he knows even if he is on his last day, his heat scent is still pretty strong. He won’t have much chance if he tried to control a mass crowd right now.

He’s trying to think of how to get through his predicament when a man starts stumbling through the alleyway Izaya is hiding in. Izaya quickly braces himself but then stares as the man staggers as if he’s drunk. Still, he shouldn’t let his guard down.

“Hey, old man.” Izaya calls out, feeling a bit braver. He doesn’t seem like a high ranking guy but who knows. “ _Have you seen a phone booth that’s further away from the main streets?_ ”

The man looks up and blinks, dumbfounded. Izaya frowns. This is the second time his command didn’t work on someone, first being Shizuo. He tries again, “ _have you seen_ … oh. Wait.” Izaya snaps his fingers in front of the guy. He looks super high. “Can you even see me?”

The man stares blankly for a while then sniffs. And then takes a deep sniff. Then sniffs like a dog around Izaya’s throat. Then Izaya quickly side-steps and lets the man fall as he tries to bite him.

“Nice try, old man.” Izaya shakes his head as the man growls and gets up. His eyes look a tiny bit sharper, though not by much.

“A druggie. No wonder it’s not working as much.” Izaya takes that into an account. Someone drugged… is slower to react to his command. So far it’s lining up exactly like the chain of commands alphas have. Definitely useful to know.

“Okay, old man, _I need you to tell me_ \--hnnngh!!!” Izaya coughs and chokes as the old man suddenly lunges forward and grabs him by his throat. He grins and his breath reeks of rotting teeth and alcohol.

“Nuh-uh-uh. Ya can’t comman’ me now can ya, alpha? Ah’m used ta being fucking commanded. All ‘ah gotta do is jist grab ‘em by them throats and ya’ll lose tha ability, ya-know? Gotta be smart if ya born as a loser D like me, ya-know?”  He slurs as he squeezes Izaya’s throat, mistaking him for a higher ranking alpha using his command ability. Then he frowns and sniffs Izaya… then licks his throat. Oh, gross… but worse… he had run into a D rank alpha who is clearly streetsmart. Izaya chokes as he claws at the man’s hand but the old man doesn’t seem to mind.

“Er ya in heat? What kinda alpha er ya? Commanin’ an’ shit but ya in heat at da same time? Or did Ah turn omega or somethin’?” The man’s eyes are so unfocused and confused with all sorts of drugs he’s high on. He may know the street life but the drugs have messed up his brain too much for him to think logically.  “Not that Ah mind none, but ya do smell good… don’t mind fuckin’ you to the ground and all. Shit, don’t mind fuckin’ them high and mighty alphas and show who’s da boss sometimes.”

Then the old man smashes Izaya to the ground and gets on top of him. Izaya’s eyes are a bit wild despite being choked still. He’s going to be raped at this rate. The amount of times his virginity is threatened has been astronomically high within this past week, it’s sickening.

The old man starts stripping Izaya of his belt buckle and the pants and slips his hand underneath… Izaya wants to puke. He feels so sick. This D-rank alpha barely gave off any pheromones and Izaya doesn’t find him attractive at all. Nothing compared to the sweet smell that Shizuo had…

Izaya’s thoughts are interrupted as the old man with the grey beard starts cursing. “Sweet jeesus ol’ mighty, sweet Christmas. Yer smooth as a virgin’s skin. Ya’ll an angel? Yous smell like ma ol’ sweetheart Ah used to fuck in them alleys until she got hitched to some old geezer and never visited me again. Ah think Ah’ve been waitin’ fer ya all ma’ life.” The old man starts panting heavily like the gross old man he is and Izaya really wants to gag. He certainly did NOT want to be fucked by this dirty old man with a colorful history.

The man had already pulled down Izaya’s pants and has started to pull down his own. That dick looked so wrinkly and old, Izaya cringes at the sight. The last dick he saw was Shizuo’s (well… the tent of Shizuo’s pants rather but it left little to imagination) and it is no comparison. Izaya won’t be surprised if this one is growing mold. And Izaya does not want an old, dirty, wrinkly and moldy dick in his ass, no thank you.

First, he needs this man to stop choking him. Despite the deprived oxygen, Izaya tries to think fast. He needs the old man to use both of his hands somehow.

Or he can go the old fashion way. Izaya kicks the old man. Hard.

“Ow!” The old man tumbles off of him and Izaya quickly pushes himself away, choking and coughing for breath. But first, he must talk!

“ _Stop!_ ” Izaya shouts, between his coughs. “ _Don’t move!_ ”

While the man remained immobilized, Izaya starts to regain his bearing. He can’t stay here too long. He might have made too much noise, he certainly did not want another alpha thinking he can choke him before he can issue a command. This only happened because this man didn’t think he was an omega in heat at first. This is something Izaya better keep in mind in the future.

“Yer such a pretty sweet thing… Ah don’t like most men but yer so sweet… Ah can fuck yous all night til ma hip bones break.” The old man smacks his lips with toothless smiles. Oh boy, Izaya also wants to command him to shut the fuck up.

“You want me that much?” Izaya asks again, getting into the routine of things. Who doesn’t? It seems everyone under the sky wants to fuck him when he is in heat and think they are soulmates.

…

…

….Would… Kadota...too?

But Izaya decides not to think on that but just deal with the issue at hand.

“Oh ya bet Ah do. When Ah’m done with ya, well, Ah won’t be done with ya any time soon Ah reckon but Ah’m sure you’d love fer another tumble with ma lil sausage here. He’d be happy ta make yer acquaintance” The man wants to crawl forward but can’t seem to. Izaya is so glad that this alpha was low rank enough that the command stays hold stronger.

“Alright, you can fuck me all night… and day… or whatever you want I guess.”

“Oh yes’em. It’ll be a sausage fest ya’ve never tasted like be’ore.” He chuckles at his poor sense of taste and Izaya does his best not to blench.

“A-alright but first… there’s a blond guy named Shizuo who wants to mate with me. You don’t want me mated, right?” Izaya tries to reason with the druggie, which is probably the worst decision he’s ever made but he didn’t really see any other way. “If you want me to… be your… sweetheart…” Izaya chokes on that word. “Please take care of him for me?”

“A blondy eh? An alpha ah take it. Ah know how ta deal with them alphas.” The old man grins with his cracked lips and stands up, his eyes a little wild. “And yous won’t mind a tumble or two? Make that perhaps four?”

“S-sure…” Oh hell no, Izaya thinks.

“‘Bout how tall?” the old man asks. He walks over to a trash can and cracks a bottle to hold a shard.

“Erm… about… wee-tall?” Izaya’s starting to pick up this old man’s dialect to get into the groove of things as he lifts his hand up high to show how tall ‘Shizuo’ is.

“Alright, yous got it. Ah’ll get ‘em that alpha fer ya. But ya promised me five.”

“....” It certainly wasn’t five… the number is growing. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter. Izaya’s never planning to have any… ‘tumble’ with him in some alleyway.

“Got it.” Izaya agrees and watches as the old man rush out gripping a shard of glass like it’s some caveman weapon and hollering like a madman.

….

Izaya feels so exhausted.

He does not want to stick around the area in case the old man decides to change his mind and rape him first then go find the ‘blondy,’ so Izaya starts off, being even more careful.

He gets to the subway station area where there are public phone booths but the place is crowded with people. One whiff of his scent and all those people would come rushing to gangbang him, probably. Izaya tries to think of his options. He makes a mental list of possibilities, from arson for distraction  to attempting to command the entire area to just stop and go somewhere else… all of which are too much work and have too many variables that can go wrong. In the end, he decides to wait until there is as few people as possible on the way to the phone booth and make a dash for it.

After half an hour of squatting in a corner and breathing like a mouse, he sees a chance and bolts to the telephone booth. It’s clear kind so people can see who’s inside but at least he can close the door behind him. Perhaps that will be enough to keep people away… although he is a beacon for Shizuo, should he be in the area. He quickly fumbles for the wallet he had gotten earlier and inserts the few coins. He has memorized Kadota’s number as they are childhood friends, and like the solid rock type guy he is, he has never changed his phone number.

“Come on, come on…” Izaya anxiously tapped his foot as the phone starts to ring.

“Hello?”

“Dotachin!” Izaya sighs in relief as the familiar voice is heard over the receiver.

“Izaya? Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me, who else calls you Dotachin? Never mind, forget that. You have to come and get me out of here!” Izaya starts talking fast but Kadota’s also blurting out questions.

“Where are you? What happened?! You said you went to Nebula to get your ranking tested but when you didn’t come back home, I called Nebula and they said you never arrived! I even had to file a police report for missing person!”  
  
Of course Kadota would file a police report. Izaya shakes his head.

“They lied. Nebula had me locked up the entire time. They were running tests…”

“THEY WHAT?!!” Kadota clearly sounds distressed but Izaya doesn’t have much time.

“Anyways, I think they are still looking for me. Going to the police wouldn’t do any good, I’m sure the government is involved. The police can’t be trusted.”

“Why in the world is the government involved? What the hell did you do Izaya? Never mind, I’m coming to get you. Where are you again?”

“I’m-”

Just as Izaya is about to speak the location of the station, a hand reaches out and grabs Izaya’s wrist and forces him to hang up.

Izaya freezes up and turns around in fear only to see an unfamiliar face.

“You’re not Shizuo.” Izaya almost accuses.

“Oh? Were you expecting someone?” The scarfaced man grins and Izaya can see gold teeth. The man is wearing a brand name suit and tie while sporting some gold chains and rings. From Izaya’s guess, this is an A-rank alpha. Izaya can even see a hint of dragon tattoo peaking out from the man’s neck, suggesting that he’s part of the yakuza... the amount of gold on him suggests that he’s perhaps even a high ranking kanbu.

“ _Unhand me_.” Izaya commands coolly, testing his waters. This should be his biggest challenge.  

The man pauses. Then he laughs. “Cute. Are you trying to command me?”

“I…” Izaya falters briefly when the man doesn’t let go of his hand. Is the command not working? But he thought he had all the A-ranks go crazy for him at the Nebula… Perhaps he is mistaken. Or is it because it might be his last day of his heat and his command ability is weakened?

There’s a lot of theories he needs to test but first, he needs to get out of this danger. The man starts sniffing him and instantly starts to drool while his eyes dilate.... it almost looks as if he’s about to piss himself from excitement, a reaction that reminded Izaya of Shizuo’s.

“In heat and out about? Are you asking for a good time? I haven’t had such a delicious scent since that time I bought an A-rank omega escort for the night… no. I think you smell… even better.” The man licks Izaya’s throat all the way to his ear as the hands grab as his ass. Izaya shivers at the disgusting sensation as he struggles to push the man off of him. “ _Get off of me_!” Izaya tries to command again with more force. But this alpha is much stronger. He scoffs and looks down at Izaya when he struggles then cooly punches him in the face.

Izaya swoons as he start to fall but the man grabs him before he hits the floor and slams him against the glass wall, another hand dipping under his pants to squeeze his cock. Izaya shudders violently in revulsion. He feels so violated as the man starts manhandling him, ripping off his pants as he’s about to rape him despite the glass walls giving them a clean view from the outside. He clearly did not give a fuck.

“Mmm... yes. I haven’t… had someone… so delicious tasting… before… I can’t wait to take you home and make you _mine._ ”

Izaya trembles at the thought. Whenever he tries to struggle or push him, the man punches his face or gut, forcing Izaya to crumple helplessly. Even though it’s almost reflexive to try to push away the scarfaced man, after three punches Izaya stops and grips onto the phone booth table behind him as the man starts tearing off his pants. Izaya hears himself whimper and it all feels surreal. There are people staring at them but most of them noticed the tattoo behind the alpha’s back neck and refuses to help. It isn’t an uncommon scene for an omega to be caught in heat in public and fucked like a whore after all. Izaya can’t believe he’s going to lose his virginity being raped in broad daylight.  However, this is the fate of many omegas. Even though he had known this all his life, it still doesn’t sink in that _he_ is an omega. And _this_ is going to be his life. He thought he had a way to escape this kind of life when he found out he had the ability to command. He thought perhaps he could find a way to live a life with some _dignity_ despite being an omega.

As the man starts spreading Izaya’s legs apart, the raven haired desperately tries to think of anything to get out of this situation. It’s hard to think while in panic but then he remembers some of the legendary tales, especially the one of Daji, the infamous S-rank concubine who became an empress of China. She was a spy sent by the rebels as she cajoled and teased the emperor with promises of infinite pleasure which eventually led to the downfall of the great empire as the emperor ignored his duties for the luxury of Daji’s charm.

Perhaps it’s not just the command he should be using but his charm as an omega.

“ _Do you want me_?” Izaya tries, his breath quickening as the man starts unzipping his pants.

“What do you think?” The man laughs like a pirate ready for his plunder. Izaya’s breath hitches as he sees the man drop his pants and shows him the size of the cock. He is an Alpha alright…. already the cock is forming a knot. Izaya swallows.

“ _You know… I can offer you a lot more than just a quick fuck…_ ” Izaya licks his lips and locks his eyes with the man, his own hand seductively fingering himself. “ _I can do things you’ve never even dreamed of._ ”

The alpha pauses. He actually pauses to swallow hard, his knotted cock drooling like a leaking faucet with precum.

“Oh yeah? L-like what?” The man seem to wait with baited breath, just barely holding onto his sanity.

“ _Oh that wouldn’t be fun if I told you…_ ” Izaya tries to think really fast. What could stall more time? “ _But it’ll cost you_.”

“Anything. I...I’ll give you anything.” The scarfaced man is practically drooling as his hands shake. They suddenly grab at Izaya’s hips and rubs his cock all over Izaya’s, dry humping him.

So it does work, Izaya thinks, despite feeling repulsed. It can work… it’s just a bit different when dealing with A-rank alphas. They have stronger resistance to ‘command’ it seems while almost no resistance to the scent of his heat, which naturally makes sense since it's the betas that have the ability to resist the scents of omega and alpha. Therefore in order for him to deal with high rank alphas, he needs to coax…

“ _Haaah!!!_ ” Izaya gasps suddenly, his thoughts interrupted when the man bites his neck with extreme need to mate _right now_ . The scarface also starts frantically humping him hard, his cock and knot trying to rip into his tight ass but unable to fit without preparation.

“I can’t… hold on. Need you… _now_!” The man growls as he smashes Izaya against the glass wall again, pressing him hard. Shit, at this rate, Izaya won’t be able to charm him before being raped!

Just as Izaya is about to push the man away and try again to coerce him, he hears a rumbling and the floor and the walls start to vibrate as if there’s an earthquake. But unlike an earthquake, it continues, as if a tank is rolling by, the vibration growing stronger. The man didn’t seem to care as he rips off Izaya’s shirt and goes for a deeper bite, making Izaya moan again and shudder. Then he sees it. It being a tornado of vending machines, street signs, cars and humans flying into the air. Whatever is in the way of the storm are punched and kicked as a blond in bartender suit charges towards him with a furious expression, a look that can kill.

No way, Izaya thinks. Despite being in a position where he has no time to think of anything other than saving himself, Izaya can’t believe his eyes as the crazy scenario unfolds. The blond rips out the metal guard rail that’s in the way, straight from the concrete road. A building’s brick wall crumples like bread crumbs when he punches it. There is no single A-rank alpha, no. Not a single _human being_ that can have such supernatural power!

Before Izaya can even move, the blond had ripped the door to the phone booth off the metal hinges, shattering the glass wall. With that scarfaced man finally turns in anger, clearly Izaya’s scent is distracting enough that he didn’t hear anything until then. The man screeches like a fat pig as the blond punches him, sending him flying more than eight stories high.

Izaya stares at the god of violence in all of his glorious fury as if he has been struck with a blessing of divine revelation.  
  
Shizuo’s eyes lock onto Izaya’s with an intensity he’s never seen before as the alpha growls, “ _I’m taking you home._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: Thank you for reading! I hope this chapter gives a bit more peek at their abo world! I hope it was an exciting read! Thank you again for the reviews too!
> 
> Bad: Did you think Izaya was going to be jumped by some gang and in need of Shizuo as soon as he left? I think the fuck not. He went on a damn quest.


	5. Chapter 5

The hardest part was bringing Izaya home without hurting him. Shizuo wouldn’t ever mean to hurt him, but hurting him on accident with rage-driven adrenaline pumping through his veins was a very real possibility. Once he reached Izaya, destroyed the phone booth, sent that disgusting excuse for an alpha into the sun and… got Izaya back he had to actively think about how tightly he grasped the back of his neck. Had to be very, very carefully not to fracture the bones in his thin shoulders or snap even the narrowest ribs as he cradled his limp omega. If he held him just a little too tightly as he ran through the streets, trampling anyone in his path, he would’ve broken Izaya for sure.

Life since he found Izaya had taken a hard turn for the surreal, and today has been the most bizarre so far.

He’s home now. They’re both home. And he’s got a lot more to think about than his hold on Izaya while he strips Izaya of his likely _stolen_ clothes, since he couldn’t have been hiding money in his naked body this whole time. Clothes Shizuo can’t afford to pay for, given the names on the labels. He’s angry. Still so angry. But he’s careful not to rip anything.

Izaya’s not exactly… there enough to take his own clothes off.

When Shizuo had finally pinned Izaya down between the grimy glass wall of the old phone booth and the wall of muscle that is Shizuo’s own body the break-neck speed of the chase stopped so abruptly, as though time had slammed on the breaks leaving the back of Shizuo’s head throbbing and ringing with whiplash. Then it seemed as though time had shifted gears for Shizuo and everything around him began moving again in slow motion. He watched as every muscle in Izaya’s body shifted to flatten itself against the glass behind him. He could see the way the skin on his face twitched around his eyes as they widened, his pupils dilating to engulf his pretty irises. Izaya’s lips had fallen apart as his mind undoubtedly stopped focusing on his expression in favor of trying to make sense of the monster in front of him. But no one can make sense of a _freak_ like Shizuo.

Then, the world shifted gears again. Only this time, it felt more like a change in the wind. First, it was Izaya scent. So faint he wouldn’t have noticed around his own pheromones bouncing wildly off of every surface like hot gas particles if he wasn’t caging the little omega in a confined space with his body. But the scent got stronger, Izaya’s face got redder, he started breathing harder, and then it clicked. Izaya’s heat was acting up again out in the street with Shizuo less than an arm’s length away while his inner alpha was in charge of his body. Shizuo remembered what Izaya’s last two heat waves were like. Thrashing, shouting, pheromones so powerful Shizuo was genuinely afraid he would rape this perfect little omega. Shizuo panicked. Not that reason had been in control at any point during today. With the edges of his vision tinged red with blood lust and every part of himself screaming that he needed to get Izaya out of there immediately he did the first thing that came to mind.

Or more accurately, came to instinct.

He knocked Izaya out _again,_ wrapped him up in his button-up to create as many layers between Izaya’s skin and his own as possible while covering his scent and carried him home like some neanderthal.

 _I had no choice!_ Part of him defends as he untangles his shirt from Izaya’s body with trembling, too-strong hands that could crumble bones like dried clay.

_You always have a choice!_

_You could have reasoned with him, Izaya’s not brainless, he would have understood going with you was the safest option._

Another voice snaps.

_You’re not brainless._

Shizuo’s lost in his own head as he wrenches the black, designer shirt off of Izaya’s body and quickly covers him back up with one of his own corner-store white tee-shirts. The bare skin that he brushes burns his hands like steam and he can’t tell if it’s the hormones or the sweat that catches his hands. He swallows hard as his eyes flit over Izaya’s skin. He doesn’t even want sex right now but damn chemicals still throb in the back of his head.

_Izaya would have had to suffer through his heat in the middle of the street._

He fumbles with his pants as he stares at Izaya’s chest without actually seeing.

_That’s when his omega instincts would have kicked in and sent him into a panic because of how dangerous it is to be in heat and in the open like that!_

_Oh, he would have panicked, huh?_

_Like you did._

_What gave you the right to give into your instincts and take away his right to do anything?!_

He lays Izaya’s limp body flat on his bed with his legs partially dangling off the side. Shizuo rips the pants off so carelessly they turn completely inside-out and force the socks off. And fuck his legs. Izaya’s pheromones are pouring off of him and it sends Shizuo’s vision spinning. He shuts his eyes and shakes his head like a dog to try and clear it, but it doesn’t really help. There’s too much damn noise in his brain right now. He tosses them into the growing pile of Izaya’s things in the corner along with the torn straight-jacket, the satin and jewels, and now some stolen designer clothes.

_I couldn’t have left it up to chance._

The underwear… he leaves alone. He doesn’t trust himself not to snap if he gets rid of those.

_You really want him to be your omega?_

_You’ve hit him twice now._

_You’re the same kind of piece of shit alpha you want to see omegas freed from._

_Shut up!_ Shizuo swings Izaya’s legs up onto the bed. _Shut up, shut up! I saved him!_ He stumbles to his bathroom to pull open the squeaky door to the cabinet and accidentally rips it off, but he’s not thinking of that, he’s diving in head-first for his first-aid kit and fighting himself.

_I’m not a bad person! I’m just- it-it’s complicated. I’m not bad…_

_Not bad?_

_How many people did you hospitalize today?_

_You don’t even know._

_None of them were in their right minds either, they were practically zombies._

_You didn’t have to be as violent as you were to get to Izaya, you could have outrun almost all of them._

_You didn’t have to take away Izaya’s right to make his own decisions._

 

“Shut up, shut _up!_ ” He hisses.

He returns to Izaya and dumps the plastic bag first-aid kit out onto his sheets to asses the damages to his body.

Izaya’s bloody nose is the most obvious issue, so he decides to take care of it first. No doubt from some horrible alpha trying to take him. _I should’ve killed him. I want to kill him! Kill, kill, kill…_

_Take him like you did?_

_No!_

He takes deep, calming breaths to slowly fade the red from his vision, the violent tremors in his hands subsiding to a tremble. He holds Izaya’s face steady by his jaw with one hand and ghosts his fingers over the delicate bridge of Izaya’s nose with his other hand as carefully as possible.

He… doesn’t think it’s broken? It doesn’t look any different from how it was before minus all the blood. He sighs in relief, he really couldn’t trust himself to set a broken nose without accidentally crushing it beyond repair.

“No, no I didn’t take him- you. I mean, not in a bad way. I saved you.” He murmurs to himself, then to Izaya. He should be talking to Izaya, not about him as though he isn’t in the room. “I saved you and I’m just trying to protect you… you… you have to understand that…”

Then Shizuo looks lower to see… a bitemark on Izaya’s neck. Right where Shizuo wanted to claim him. Alpha rage immediately surges back up and Shizuo reaches for the tube of ointment on the bed only for it to pop as soon as he wraps his fingers around it.

“Shit” Shizuo curses, his fingers covered in it. He cleans Izaya’s neck the best he can with his clean hand and some alcohol then smears what he can of the ointment left on the bitemark. He’ll clean the rest of the cream later.

He really hopes it won’t scar.

It’s not as though a bite like this binds Izaya to that alpha from the phone booth as a mate for life, but it’s still a common symbol of mating. And that man tried to mate Izaya.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it. Should have killed him. Want to kill him._

He settles for covering the bite with a white bandage and tries to relax with the thought that he’ll be able to mark over that spot one day.

_He was at a phone booth, he was calling someone._

_Izaya has a life somewhere, people who miss him, he doesn’t need you!_

He soaks some gauze in alcohol and gently cleans Izaya’s face.

_Even if they can’t protect him like you can he was trying to run, damn it!_

_And what about all those people who tried to kill you?_

_Sure, they all wanted him but how could they have known who you were to Izaya?_

 

_So… are you saying Izaya sent them? Why wouldn’t they have just taken him?_

_I don’t know… How could he even make it as far as he did?_

Shizuo frowns in confusion, unable to answer himself.

He lifts the cotton shirt to take a closer look at his upper body. There’s deep, purple bruises blooming across his stomach, like he was punched over and over and… Shizuo can’t bring himself to really feel bad for any of the people he hurt today. Any one of them could have done this. There are smaller bruises around his ribs, which confuses Shizuo at first. Until he realizes they’re in the shape of his fingers, exactly where he was holding Izaya when he carried him home.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He mumbles and readjusts the shirt.

He remembers the blood on the window frame and sure enough he finds a scratch on Izaya’s shoulder to clean and cover with a bandage.

“I’m not… I won’t accuse you of anything until I know for sure.” He reassures Izaya, brushing the bangs from his unconscious face before shoving some cotton up his nose to try and stop the gush of fresh blood.

“Besides, you wouldn’t… _couldn’t_ … this doesn’t make any sense.” He’ll ask Izaya about it when he wakes up.

_What if his friends or family is searching the train station for him, worried out of their minds?_

_You won’t even let him see his family again._

_Yes I-!_

_No. You won’t._ I _will._

“Shut up.”

 

The only other injury Shizuo can find is a swollen ankle, probably twisted from the fall from the window. He wraps his last few ice cubes in a dish towel before pressing it to Izaya's ankle to try and bring down the swelling. He takes a deep, shaky breath and tries to pull himself together.

_It’s fine. Everything’s fine. It’s okay now. It’s all under control._

Shizuo’s under control.

Yes, he is under control.

He sits on the edge of the bed by Izaya’s feet, nursing the twisted ankle and gently massaging his other foot. Izaya must be tired and sore and… It’s good he’s resting. He needs to rest. Once the swelling goes down a bit he wraps the ankle and gently presses a kiss to it.

“It’s okay, I’ll keep you safe.” He whispers to Izaya, “I’m the only one who can keep you safe.”

_Is safety better than freedom?_

He… doesn’t want to ask Izaya that.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_‘No, no… no more!’ Izaya screams mentally as they inject him more drugs. It makes him drowsy and unable to focus. He can’t seem to stay awake at all as the scientists continue to study him. At this point it feels closer to an illegal human experiment as they have him strapped to a table and his mouth gagged. This can’t be right. Certainly none of this can be right, especially taking away his ability to protest!_

_The scientists are wearing gas masks and full biohazard suit as if he is hazardous test subject. They impersonally spread his legs open again to collect the secretion coming out between his legs in a vial like they are just collecting samples. He feels sick at this. Already he isn’t used to being an omega in heat and then forced into being their sexual guinea pig is vile. And even if Izaya doesn’t know much about omega rating testing, this can’t be it._

_“We should cut his vocal cords.” One of the scientist speak as if it’s just a clerical matter. “It’s safer that way.”_

_“No, the higher ups have decided not to.” The second one shakes her head. “We would lose too much data.”_

_Izaya’s eyes widen. Even though the drug is fucking up with his mind, those words are burned into him._

_No. They won’t right? This can’t be happening to him. All his rights stripped away, his identity rewritten into just an object. He didn’t walk in here to be treated like a lab rat!_

_Then his mind wonders. They won’t...try to breed him will they? Oh god... they will. Izaya knows that after they have figured him out, the next step would be to…_

_Izaya starts struggling, pulling at his restraints wildly. He needs to get out of here. He must escape! Somehow! He needs to…!_

_“Sedate him, now!!”_

_“Someone stop him!’_

_The scientists quickly try to tranquilize him again on top of the drug and Izaya struggles hard on the table, screaming through his gag, trying desperately to loosen the buckle. He must somehow esca-_

 

* * *

 

 

Izaya gasps and coughs as the harsh breath of oxygen expands his lungs painfully as if he’s finally surfaced from drowning. He smacks his head against something and groans as he is forced back down. He rubs his forehead as he rolls on the flat surface with crushed blankets and pillows.

The first thing he sees is the cage. Or rather, the small metal bars that is caging him inside. He’s inside a small dog kennel, barely fitting him in. He can’t stretch his legs all the way, it’s half the size of a bed. He also can’t fully sit up. What’s worse, there are so many blankets and pillows, making the inside even more crowded!

However, that’s the least of his concern as he quickly tries to figure out where he is. He immediately relaxes when he notices he is back to a familiar setting. Shizuo’s room. There is no other room that looks so dismal, after all. Except now the bed is missing all the blankets and pillows…

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Shizuo asks quietly, looking extremely guilty.

Izaya jumps and hits his head against the bars again. He scowls and turns around. He didn’t realize Shizuo was RIGHT THERE, behind Izaya, watching him the entire time. Well, not quite. He has a book on his lap, opened with a bookmark. Clearly, he was reading just few minutes ago.

Shizuo puts his book down shifts his weight forward onto his knees so he’s kneeling in front of Izaya. He holds either side of the cage, pressing his forehead to the bars to be as close as possible. “Izaya, I’m so sorry I knocked you out. It’s just- you were going into heat again and I didn’t know what else to do!”

“....” Izaya stares at him in awe, his lips parted as he looks at the blond with newfound respect.

“You’re an S-class, aren’t you?” Izaya tilts his head and lays back down. He notices now that he is wearing none of the clothes he had gotten earlier, save for the silky underwear and an oversized white shirt. He can see the bandage wrapped around his swollen ankle which then reminds him of the incident at the telephone booth.  He touches the cotton bandage on his neck where the bite mark was. Ah, so Shizuo...saw it and covered it up. Izaya smiles a bit at that act of jealousy as he leans on the cage relaxed, makes the shirt slip down one shoulder. It’s overly large indeed.

Shizuo blinks in surprise, like he wasn’t expecting Izaya to say that at all. “I’m…” He hesitates briefly, as if struggling then finally admits, “yeah… I didn’t want you to see me like that.” He confirms Izaya’s suspicion like he’s confessing to a crime. His shoulders droop and his face falls further into dejection.

“Heh….” Izaya curls up like a cat inside the cage as he looks at Shizuo in something akin to admiration. His attitude has completely changed. He doesn’t even seem to mind being in a cage. Of course, there’s more than a dozen downsides to being inside a cage in normal circumstances, but this is Izaya.

That and he knows he hasn’t answered properly to Shizuo’s apology.

“What’s your full name?” Izaya looks genuinely curious as he gets comfortable, fluffing the age-worn pillow as if he can try to bring some life back into it with a few pats.

“It’s Heiwajma.” Shizuo licks his lips nervously, but his eyes are fixed on Izaya’s lounging body. “But… You can’t tell anyone, okay? If people knew I’d never have another peaceful moment.” He says it like he’s trusting Izaya. As though Izaya could just go out and talk to anyone at all anymore.

“Hmm... then I’ll call you Shizu-chan.” Izaya laughs lightly, as if he doesn’t seem to notice the gravity of the matter.

Shizuo’s face twists up in disgust. “That’s a horrible name. Just call me Shizuo.”

“Okay, Shizu-chan, whatever you say.” Izaya smiles brightly.

“Ugh, are you in pain or not? And how’s your heat?” Shizuo scowls and tries to change the subject.

“Oh, about that…” Izaya looks at Shizuo curiously. “Are you still in love with me? My heat is gone, you know, can’t you tell?”

Shizuo flushes a deep red all the way up to the tips of his ears. “W-well… I still… I still think we-we’re meant to be together, if that’s what you mean… And I wasn’t sure if you were really done this time or not. Everything still smells…” Shizuo crinkles his nose. “Wet. Not like before but your scent is still soaking all my stuff.”

“Wet?” Izaya looks confused. He doesn’t feel ‘wet’ anymore. His anus finally stopped...discreting that disgusting precum-like lubrication, preparing him for impregnation. It was awful and he’s so glad that’s over.

“Yeah, like…” Shizuo’s brows furrow in thought and he scratches his hair. “I dunno how else to really describe your scent. It’s not the same as it was before but… you were still in heat when I put you in there and I think all that stuff soaked up your… pheromones or… whatever.” Shizuo shifts a bit to smell a pillow that’s pressed to the bars of the cage and shudders. “Yeah…” He croaks. “Yeah, that smells like… wet.” He swallows hard.

“Are you serious?!” Izaya almost panics and he picks up his pillow to sniff it. He doesn’t… smell anything. Is this some sort of alpha ability?

“W-well… so, is it the smell that’s making you think we’re…” Izaya pauses. Of course Shizuo won’t be able to answer that. He will think it’s always ‘fate’.

“Anyways, let’s wash them?” Can this man even afford to wash everything?

Shizuo stares at Izaya for a few seconds, studying his expression. “You’re not gonna try to run, right? Because…” His eyes flick to the bandage on Izaya’s neck. “Because I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“....why? Are you planning to hit my head again? Oh, and please don’t do that. I might get a concussion or worse, bleeding in my brain and I’d die in minutes. Just ask me next time, okay?” Again, Izaya’s totally avoiding the question.

The suspicion in Shizuo’s face collapses into despair. He moves away from Izaya’s cage to sit with his knees bent, looking at the floor.

“I’m not going to hurt you again. I promise. I’m not… I don’t want to be a… I want to be a good alpha for you. I just want to protect you.”

“...okay, that’s fine.” Izaya seems to go along with Shizuo easily. After all, Izaya has his own plans.

Shizuo moves around to the other side of the cage to unlock and open the door. He sits at the entrance, waiting, but doesn’t reach inside. Like he doesn’t want to invade Izaya’s space. “Okay, just give me what you want to wash and…” He bites his lip anxiously, looking around at all the stuff packed in there. “Is that enough? That’s all I have but… there’s still the fitted sheet on my bed. And I’ve got some jackets if you want. I read omegas like to nest in heat and… well, you’re not in heat anymore but I didn’t let you when you were.” He babbles.

“...............................” Izaya stares in shock when Shizuo opens the door so easily. He thought that he would have to beg Shizuo again to use the bathroom or something for it to be ever opened. Even then, he assumed that Shizuo had already planned an empty bottle for Izaya to pee in and a small potty etc, he just did not think that door would be open for at least another month.

And here is Shizuo, opening it to wash the laundry.

Either Shizuo is super easy to manipulate… or just very dumb. Or both. Or just…

Izaya blinks a few times before he comes back to his senses.

“I uh...here.” Izaya scoops the sheets and pillow and gives them to Shizuo. He also makes sure that he doesn’t make unnecessary movements. He doesn’t want to escape, after all. In fact, he’s exactly where he wants to be right now.

He has seen first hand what it would be like to be with a beta or an alpha on all sorts of levels. Sure, he can use the command ability to control them during his heat but he knows that there’s limitations; he can’t use the command ability when he is not in heat. Using his command ability in a relationship at all would likely destroy whatever bonds he could build, leaving his relationship shallow. There is a possibility he could stay with an A-class alpha  and try to use him...but he doesn’t know if they’ll still think of him as loveable or charming when he isn’t in heat.

When he was living his life as a beta, he was considered charming and was popular, but not anything out of the norm. No one instantly fell in love with him like they do when he is in heat and Izaya is a bit worried that the ‘charm’ he might have on people while in heat might wear off after his cycle is over. Of course, he has no one to test this theory on except for Shizuo and he doesn’t seem like a reliable test subject.

Still, for now, Izaya decides that staying with Shizuo is safer. He is a man who can at least resist  Izaya’s heat without being ‘commanded’. That, and Shizuo is something far more special than any other human.

He is an S-class alpha. A legendary class that only seems to appear in myths or history books.

But first, the scent has to go. Maybe then… Izaya can see if this man still likes him.

Shizuo accepts the armful of ‘wet’ smelling material, but doesn’t get up or close the cage right away. He presses his face into the pile and inhales deeply.

“Ah, sorry…” He mumbles after a few seconds, pulling his face away with a gasp. He fails at being subtle at adjusting himself in his pants and locks the cage back up before walking away.

“....” Izaya almost laughs at him but is able to stop himself. Wow this man...really fell for him. Pretty hard. Seriously hard.

...He just hopes it’ll last. Instead of searching far and wide, Izaya has decided this is the one he wants. An S-rank alpha.

Too bad he’s a bit...dense. Granted, the ranking has nothing to do with one’s intellect, just like beauty. Or social grace for that matter. At least Shizuo’s eyecandy.

What he did NOT realize is when he sees Shizuo walk to the kitchen...and hears the sink water.

O-of course he doesn’t have a laundry machine in his house! Which meant no dryer. And it seems Shizuo has no money to go to the laundromat. Izaya cringes at the idea of sleeping on wet blankets. Literally.

When Shizuo comes back with the damp blanket and pillow he wrung dry by hand, Izaya wonders to himself if he is going to sleep on that…

“Is… it better? The smell I mean.”

“Yeah, I can still smell it but… that might just be you.” Shizuo turns to the bathroom to hang the blanket to dry over the shower curtain rod.

“I keep telling you… I am not in heat.” Izaya smells himself although he knows he won’t be able to tell the difference. “And no one else had told me I smell like an omega when I’m not in my cycle.” Izaya is half relieved to see that Shizuo is hanging the blanket instead of stuffing it back into the small cage but now he’s sitting on the hard floor.

“You might just smell good all the time.” Shizuo shrugs and walks back over to Izaya. “Those… might take a while to dry. Do you want something else?”

“What else… do you have?” honestly, Izaya has no idea what’s in the closet… if there is a closet. He’s only seen this one bedroom and the bathroom briefly.

Shizuo walks over to the short dresser in the back of the room, it only comes up to his hips, and opens the top drawer. “I’ve got a hoodie and some tee-shirts and sweatpants. Jeans probably won’t be very comfortable.”

“Alright. Can I have them all to use as blanket?” Izaya asks carefully. He doesn’t know if Shizuo has more clothes or that’s all he has.

“Yeah, of course.” Shizuo says, a little too quickly, and empties out his top dresser drawer, half of the second one which includes some sweaters he forgot he had, and pauses at the third. “... The only other soft clothes I have are boxers. I’ll give you those too if you want.”

“T-that’s okay! Really.” Izaya flushes furiously at the idea of sitting on… Shizuo’s boxers. This is definitely not where he wanted their minds to go. Or is it? It could be advantageous to some degree but… no. It’s better if Izaya seems more ‘chaste’ to Shizuo.

Izaya already has a grand plan schemed ahead. He has chosen Shizuo out of all the possibilities. At least this man seems to be in love with him, or at least like him a lot despite the heat being gone. And it is easier to manipulate someone who isn’t clever and easy to deceive. Someone who seems to trust so easily. Not to mention that ridiculous strength and…

Okay, he’s getting way too ahead of himself. Baby steps first. And that step, is to make this man love him madly.

Shizuo had ripped off the luxurious silk in anger. He also took off all the brand name clothes from Izaya. He is an S-class but seems to choose to live in poverty.  It also seemed important to him that Izaya is chaste and pure. He had said that he liked his pretty eyes. There’s a lot of material to work with and Izaya is drawing a picture of what kind of person Shizuo likes.

Shizuo walks back over to Izaya with his arms full of all the comfortable clothing he has. He strips the fitted sheet from his bed as he approaches with one hand and adds it to the pile, leaving his mattress completely bare. He kneels in front of Izaya, opens the cage again, and gives him all he has.

“But… what will you use… to sleep?” Izaya asks as he receives all armful of ‘gifts’.

“I’ve got a whole bed, that’s plenty.” Shizuo doesn’t move from the doorway of the cage to close it again. His hands twitch towards Izaya, like he wants to reach inside, but he rests them on the bars instead. “It’s like I’m changing the bedding of a hamster cage.” He says with an almost straight face.

“...” Izaya’s expression flatlines as he pouts. “I was going to _offer_ some of these back but never mind. This hamster wants all of them. Hmph.” Izaya sticks out his tongue and goes back to making his ‘hamster nest.’ First he lays the mattress cover on the floor and then uses the rolled up jeans as pillows. He uses the shirts as blankets as they can be spread open. He does wear one of the more comfortable sweatpants. And by comfortable, it is so worn it’s gotten super soft.

“Good, I want you to have them all.” Shizuo laughs heartily. Then he crouches back down to level his eyes with Izaya’s, the smiles disappearing.

“Now then, you’ve got your nest in order and you got your sleep… so I want to talk about, this.”

Shizuo then pulls something from his pocket and shows the wrinkled paper.

It’s a wanted poster from Nebula. With Izaya’s face and name on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad: Yeah, Shizuo doesn't respond well to stress. I hope you all enjoyed reading his little freak out as much as I enjoyed . 
> 
> Ruka: And some MORE clues to what happened to Izaya at the Nebula revealed! Fufu... the world is so cruel to both of them, despite their rankings~


	6. Chapter 6

“....” Izaya stares at his own wanted poster. Nebula must be pretty desperate to have him back. 

He takes a good, long look at it. It’s a picture of him back when he was forcefully detained. His eyes are a bit unfocused due to the drugs but otherwise it's a clear picture of him. He just looks tiny bit sleepy. 

Denying that that ‘isn’t’ him is impossible. So he gives it a scrutinizing scowl. 

“They could have at least used a better picture of me.”

“They’re offering more money for you than I can even imagine, and that’s not just because I’m poor as fuck.” Shizuo splutters. But Izaya just shrugs.

“It doesn’t even say why I’m wanted.” Izaya sighs and shakes his head. “This is completely unacceptable. I mean, I know I’m pretty good looking, but to be wanted for that is…. Well I guess I’m illegally good looking?” Izaya laughs it off.

“Izaya, this is serious! How come you’ve got so much money on your head?!”

“Well, hopefully not ‘just’ my head. You do like my body too right?” Izaya teases as he sits back.

Color flushes across Shizuo’s cheeks. Whether from embarrassment or frustration. But his gaze is steely and determined.

“I don’t even see this much offered for the serious criminals that get loose.” He growls and looks back at the picture. “... This could set anyone up for life if they turned you in.” He looks back down at Izaya, scowling. “... And you sure as hell cost more than the average guy has to keep. Especially if you’re wanted.”

“So what are you saying? Are you going to turn me in?”

“I’m saying that you want to be safe from Nebula, you’re going to need to earn it before I decide keeping you here isn’t worth it.”

“Hmmm~” Izaya seems to make himself even more comfortable, if that’s even possible with just spare clothes inside a dog kennel. It’s as if he’s exactly where he wants to be, relaxing as if he’s on a throne. 

“Alright. Entertain me. How do I  _ earn _ it?”

“You can start by answering my questions instead of not actually saying anything for once.”

“Alright. Your first question. Why am I wanted right?” Izaya seems to agree readily. “Well, I don’t know actually. That’s the truth.” And that is the truth. Technically. Izaya has educated guesses but in the end, no one outright told him why he was detained there. 

“I just know that they forcefully decided to hold me captive and started experimenting on me.”

Shizuo stares at Izaya, searching his face for any signs of a lie. He doesn’t seem to fully believe it, but can’t seem to figure out why.

“.... What kinds of experiments?”

“....” Now Izaya starts his waterworks. His eyes tear up and he lowers his gaze. He knows he shouldn’t overdo it so he keeps it subtle. He knows he’s holding Shizuo’s attention. 

“I…” Izaya clears his throat that’s already thickly coated as if he really is choked up. “I don’t really want to talk about it. Do I have to?” He finally looks up at Shizuo and his eyes are brimming with tears that’s ready to fall. He looks like a very badly kicked puppy in Shizuo’s eyes...or so he hopes.

Shizuo swallows visibly and he glances around the interior of the cage, likely to avoid Izaya’s eyes. His jaw is still set with determination but…

He turns away to look at the pile of creamy silk in the corner of the room instead.

“... What’s your rank?” 

“They never told me.” Which, again, isn’t a lie. “They were suppose to rank me… but never said what rank I was.” Izaya’s lower lip quivers. “I’m guessing I was pretty high if… they decided to just… sell me off and…” Izaya pauses again as if the memory is too painful to re-live. Which should only make Shizuo’s imagination go wild. And it does.

Shizuo crushes the flyer in his fist and grinds his teeth audibly. It’s a wonder how they’re not all broken under the force of whatever violent thoughts must be going through his head.

“So Nebula held you captive, and did… stuff. And then put you in that to sell you off?” Shizuo turns to Izaya again, eyes set hard and surprisingly unsympathetic in the face of Izaya’s tears. 

“So how did you get away? And how did you make it all the way to the train station when you left my apartment?”  _ The hell, what kind of omega are you? _ Is left unspoken.

“I… one… one of the scientist said he’ll help me escape if… I…” Izaya wipes his tears with the back of his hand. He starts to breath harder and this time he seems to be genuinely worked up. “If I let him…” the omega’s voice grows smaller and is unable to finish that sentence.

“I agreed. I wanted to escape so I agreed. But once he… he took off the bonds and tried to force himself on me, I ran.” Izaya seems to shrink into the corner of the cage, trying to ‘nest’ like Shizuo had put it. 

“A...as for the train station… whenever someone tried to force me down, I told them I’m taken already. By someone named Shizuo. That’s all it took for them to take off running so…” And that should explain why they were after anyone named ‘Shizuo.’ Or so Izaya hoped. It should answer most questions. And he isn’t completely lying. In fact, it’s mainly true… save for one small, teeny-weeny, minor detail about his power, of course. There’s also the possibility of winning over this alpha if he mentions that he did tell everyone he’s already ‘taken’ by Shizuo.

Finally, Shizuo’s steely expression falls away. “Okay… I guess that’s enough…” He slumps against the cage, resting his cheek on the top bars, pressing a grid-like indent into the skin. 

“Sorry I made you talk about all that, I just… I can’t even say I was suspicious of you because I seriously had no ideas. I mean you… you’re a… y’know.”

He looks in at Izaya, brows pinched up and sloping into sympathy.

“I’m… I’m what?” Izaya sniffles as he rubs his eyes now

“Well… an omega… and I don’t mean anything by that!” Shizuo says quickly, trying not to be offensive. “But omegas don’t exactly get to just… go out alone. Especially in heat. It doesn’t work like that.”

“If I stayed… they would have… they would have…” Izaya swallows hard. He is emotionally forcing himself to feel worked up so his acting looks more genuine. Still, it doesn’t take much to relive all that horror. That terrifying feeling where he was about to be sold off. That wretched disgust as the other scientist started to experiment on him. He feels so sick remembering it, his face turns ashen and his stomach churns.  He shivers as he holds himself close. “I had no choice but to try to run… anything felt better than that. Even if… being outside in heat. I felt… that I had a better chance.”

“I know, I know…” Shizuo shushes Izaya and rubs his face and neck against the cage as calming, protective pheromones pour off of him. It’s not clear if it’s a conscious decision or not. “I know you did. I’m just amazed that you did manage to escape.” The cage slides a few inches closer to Shizuo as he… pulls it in to hug? Izaya’s eyes widen briefly from the shock as he thinks he can see the metal bars ‘bend’ inward. Then he quickly reverts back to his sad, kicked puppy look. 

“So why did you… why did you go back out to all that after I rescued you?” Sympathy morphs into worry and guilt. “... Was my cooking really that bad?” His eyes narrow briefly then widen again in realization. “It was the egg, wasn’t it?”

Izaya stares at Shizuo in more disbelief. He seriously...can’t be this stupid right?

He nods slowly. “Y-yeah. Well… it was actually.” He tries to play along with it to see what happens next. 

Shizuo’s eyes close and he drops his head against the cage in dejection, denting the bars a bit further. “I knew it.”

...Okay this man is an idiot. A big, BIG idiot. Izaya does his best not to drop his jaw. He has an image to maintain right now, so he plays along. “I-I mean… I can’t just eat egg and rice all day. With salt. Or soy sauce. I want side dishes. I like fish. Sushi especially. Some meat too. And vegetables. With miso soup?” Izaya gives his best ‘cute’ pout. Hopefully Shizuo will go back to work and make money?

“Ugh, I know it’s not good. Trust me, I’m hungry all the time.” Shizuo groans. His metabolism must be unreal to keep his body running. “But that’s not a good enough reason to put yourself in danger like that.” Then, he opens his eyes to Izaya’s pout and his face softens. “I’ll try to get something better next time.”

Then, he frowns again as though he’s just remembered something important.

“Oh, did you ever manage to call someone in the phone booth? Is there someone looking for you that we can trust enough to let them know you’re okay?”

“....I…” Izay hesitates. Kadota is his trump card. He doesn’t want Shizuo to know about him. But he said he wouldn’t lie, even if it’s probably impossible for Shizuo to tell he is lying or cross-check the facts. 

“That alpha… pushed me into the booth to…” Izaya stops there and lowers his gaze. He doesn’t answer the rest. He knows he won’t have to now since Shizuo seems to be completely wrapped in his fingers.

“Okay, I get it.” Shizuo says quickly, as if he’s saving Izaya from having to live any painful memories.

“Did you… want to shower for real this time? I cleaned your wounds but that’s all and you still kinda have… smells on you.”

Izaya looks up with wide grateful eyes. Shizuo did say his eyes were pretty and he plans to use it to its maximum ability. 

“C-can I?” Izaya flushes a bit. “If… if you’re afraid of me running away again… y-you can… watch me s-shower…” Izaya offers with a shy stutter that he created on the spot. No, Izaya doesn’t stutter. Ever. 

“N- N- No, that’s fine! You deserve some privacy!” Shizuo chokes out, standing up quickly.

“T-then… do you want to handcuff me to the shower head? O-or… tie a string maybe.” Izaya even gives Shizuo ‘ideas’ to tie him down even further, trying to prove to him that he plans to stay this time. “Y-you can hold the string on the other end so you can feel it pull?”

“N- No! Damn it, Izaya! That’s not going to be necessary!”

_ ‘Wow, what an idiot.’ _ Izaya thinks to himself. He literally just offered Shizuo SEVERAL SOLUTIONS he could use to keep him captive but no. He just turned them all down. Well, better for him.

The cage lurches as Shizuo grabs the top of it and lifts it off the ground to carry the whole thing towards the bathroom. 

“Wh-whoaaa?!!!!” Izaya knows Shizuo’s strong but wh-what?! THIS IS SOLID METAL CAGE. It’s probably extremely heavy?! Wait, will the cage even fit through the door?

He drops the cage in front of the bathroom doorway and pulls the curtain back. This way, the exit to the cage is directly facing the bathroom, so if Izaya wanted to run he’d have to climb the cage and get past Shizuo. Shizuo reaches over the cage, and unlocks it to let Izaya out.

“You can pull the curtain over for privacy, but I’m going to sit out here, okay?”

“O-okay.” Izaya crawls out and faces the bathroom again. It feels good to finally stretch his legs but his attention is directed elsewhere.

He notices that that the window he had escaped from got a new makeover. With lovely wooden boards that are nailed into the wall like some overused voodoo doll.

Izaya feels his lips and eyebrows twitch in amazement. 

Regardless, he walks into the bathroom away from the entry point and starts to take off his ‘boyfriend’ shirt and pants. And his underwear. He only has one but he doesn’t like to re-wear dirty clothes.    
  
He goes ahead and turns on the faucet. The cold water splashes down to his hand and then he remembers...Shizuo doesn’t have hot showers. 

This is going to be painful in another way it seems.

He sighs, takes a deep breath and enters quickly.

He still squeaks at the cold.  

* * *

 

Shizuo sighs and slumps back against the doorframe, scrubbing his face with his hands. There’s this nagging feeling in the back of his head that there’s more Izaya’s not telling him. The problem is, he has no idea what it could be.

It’s not uncommon for omegas to be auctioned off, everyone knows it happens. But he had to ask about Izaya’s rank because of that crazy silk thing. Being auctioned in something so expensive is a sign of a high-ranking omega and has to be connecting to the price on Izaya’s head, right? However, it’s still hard to believe that a highly influential, global organization would take part in sex trafficking. Nebula is suppose to be just an organization that ranks every class, right?  It doesn’t make sense. Still... Shizuo too had his own run-ins with Nebula and none of them were pretty. If Izaya’s story is true, then the government and Nebula are more corrupt than he thought, hiding all this human experimentation and sex trafficking all from the news and public... 

Even so, there’s another little voice in his head asking him if he really cares about the truth.

After all, he has Izaya back, and he’ll be more careful this time. He lives so detached from society that he’s half convinced his scarce neighbors don’t even know he exists, so he probably doesn’t have to worry about anyone seeing Izaya and reporting it to Nebula as long as he never lets the omega outside. It’ll be fine.

He’s got it all under control and he doesn’t plan on losing control again. Bad things happen when he loses control.

The tiniest little squeak comes from his bathroom and Shizuo chuckles. Okay, he feels a little bad he can’t provide better for his omega, but he can’t feel that bad when Izaya makes such cute sounds.

Outside of his heat Izaya is… Well, he’s confusing as hell. One minute he’s lounging in that omega kennel like it’s his kingdom and the next he’s nesting in the corner, looking up at Shizuo with those big, teary eyes like a damn puppy from an animal abuse PSA and Shizuo… Isn’t sure which one is the real Izaya.

Okay, that’s a lie. He’s pretty sure which one the real Izaya is.

But Shizuo isn’t sure which one he wants to  _ believe  _ the real Izaya is.

He digs his palms into his eye sockets, mentally berating himself because how fucked up can he possibly be? Of course he should say he wants to believe the real Izaya jokes in the face of an astronomical bounty and treats captivity like a vacation.  _ Of course _ he should want Izaya to be witty and have an ego the size of Japan. But fuck him if Izaya looking so small and in need of protection wasn’t appealing in it’s own twisted way. Shizuo tries to lock those feelings deep inside himself because that’s  _ bad. _ Wanting Izaya to need him and depend on him for his every need would make him a  _ bad person _ .

And Shizuo is not a bad person.

The real Izaya is probably capable and independent. Smart, certainly, since he got accepted into university. The real Izaya should be in school, staying up all night with his friends and acing his exams and making his family proud but he’s here, needing Shizuo to feed him and asking for permission to shower. The Izaya whose nesting in his clothes and reliving painful memories in exchange for protection is a result of trauma from having his rights stripped away over something he has no control over.

And Shizuo loves the feeling of being needed.

But Shizuo’s a good person. He tells those feelings to  _ shut up _ already.

“Hey… Izaya…” He calls into the bathroom, voice cracking over unvoiced guilt.

“Y-yeah? Oh… erm, the towel is under the sink right? I got it.”

“It’s not that.” Shizuo shakes his head even though Izaya can’t see him. “It’s just…” He rolls his head to rest against his shoulder. It feels heavy. Full of more noise.

“... I wasn’t really going to turn you over to Nebula. There’s not enough money in the whole world to make me do that… I’m sorry I lied and made you tell me those things.”

There’s the sound of the shower faucet being turned with a loud squeak. Then the petit sound of wet feet on the floor. A small head peeks out of the doorway with damp hair and a shy flush.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear that over the shower. What was it again?” His bare shoulder is dripping wet and there’s a hint of his hip peeking out from behind the door frame. His skin so pale save for the bruised spots. And he’s naked and shivering in the cold.

Shizuo’s mind goes blank and good sense loses out to the urge to devour every inch of Izaya’s exposed, wet skin with his eyes. Suddenly, his mouth feels too dry. And the only water in the entire world is dripping from Izaya’s black hair and onto his slender shoulders. It pools into the dips of his collar bones and cascades downwards towards-

Shizuo looks away for a second to collect himself. What was he saying again…?

“I said that I wouldn’t give you to Nebula. I’ll keep you safe here.” Even his voice sounds dry.

There’s a small crease of a frown on Izaya ever so briefly but it soon disappears, as if it never existed. He lowers his eyes again, standing there all wet, cold and shivering. As if he’s waiting for Shizuo to warm him up. Like he  _ needs _ Shizuo to make him warm and dry and- “Do you… still want me? I’m not in heat anymore… I… I thought… you know… you wouldn’t like me now that my heat is gone and… I’m normal again.” Izaya laughs a bit, mocking himself. “You said I looked pretty… I just thought that’s because of my heat.”

Shizuo snorts at the absurdity of those words. Surely there’s no way someone as good-looking as Izaya could actually think like that, right?

… Then again, Shizuo doesn’t exactly have the best self-esteem either. 

“Don’t be stupid. You really think I’m evil enough to sell you into a lifetime of slavery?” Ah, maybe not the best choice of words considering Izaya’s trauma. But it’s too late now.

He places his hand in Izaya soaking, cold hair. Then shoves him back into the bathroom.

“Dry off. You look like you’re freezing and you’re dripping everywhere.”

“Whoaa!” Izaya stumbles back. Then he does as he’s told… turning around and literally mooning Shizuo his entire ass while he bends down to pick up the towel from under the sink, giving him a really good view.

Shizuo turns away as quickly as possible, feeling stupid for his embarrassment. Just a few days ago he got more than an eyeful of Izaya fully naked from the front with a dildo in his ass.

… He still doesn’t look back.

Ah, his hand is all wet now, smelling faintly of his shampoo and Izaya and…

And now he’s putting his damp fingers in his mouth to lick up every bit of moisture.

He snaps himself out of it just in time to pull his fingers out of his mouth before Izaya can see.

“Are you done?”

“Y-yeah….” Izaya’s still partially hidden as he uses the towel to try to dry his head. “Do you have a spare underwear? I… I don’t like to rewear used ones.”

Shizuo nods because he doesn’t trust himself to speak when he can’t even breath around the thought of seeing Izaya in his boxers  _ and _ shirt.

_ That’s perfectly reasonable. _ He tells himself.  _ Nothing sexual about it. _

Except for the part where it’s sexy as hell.

He walks away from the door to fish out a pair of clean boxers from his dresser and tosses them to Izaya.

Izaya catches it in midair with ease even while his back is turned to Shizuo, jarring Shizuo again with how starkly Izaya differs from the stereotypical omega. Textbook omegas don’t just catch things without looking, cool and confident in their own abilities. He forgets about that when Izaya wears them along with Shizuo’s oversized shirt and pants, looking once again like Shizuo’s tiny, perfect omega in the oversized clothes that smell like he belongs to him. Then, with the towel still around his shoulders, he bends down to try to walk back into the cage on his own.

Izaya starts to crawl back into the cage but Shizuo’s hardly seeing that. His eyes zero in on the mark on his neck as the large shirt slips down that particular shoulder with the wound.

“Hey, hang on a second.” Shizuo growls. His anger is at the mark and that alpha but outside of his own head… he just sounds angry.

Izaya pauses mid-way and waits for Shizuo’s next order. Almost as if he was expecting it. 

“There’s a plastic bag in there that’s my first-aid kit. I need to re-bandage that bite on your neck.” He’s scowling and in his head it’s not at Izaya but… It looks like it’s at Izaya. He yanks the cage away from the doorway to step into the bathroom. “It’s in the cabinet.” He practically snaps at Izaya.

Izaya finds the bag quickly and hands it to Shizuo who’s glaring at Izaya’s neck as he digs through the mess of medical supplies for a new bandage to cover up the mark. It’s not bleeding anymore, but he rinses it with alcohol anyway as though there’s an infection he needs to get rid of.

“Ow…!” Izaya winces and his fingers grab onto the front of Shizuo’s shirt. But this only spurs Shizuo on further. 

He grabs Izaya by the shoulder, as though Izaya had flinched away and needed to be pulled closer, and bends down to scrub his own neck over the bite mark. Scenting Izaya possessively, like a cat. His movements are jerky and aggressive, but he is sure to give the unmarked side of Izaya’s neck equal attention before pulling away to cover the bitemark with the fresh bandage.

“There. Now you don’t stink anymore.” Shizuo grunts. His inner alpha is satisfied, but it makes him feel like an animal.

“T-thanks…”

Izaya sounds… uncertain? Whatever. It’s over and done with now.

He picks Izaya up by his waist and sits him down on the edge of the sink to quickly take care of his other injuries. The scratch from the window was so small it doesn’t need anything more than a little band-aid to satisfy Shizuo’s over-protective needs. His ankle is what needs actual attention, so he wraps it tightly to keep Izaya from moving it too much.

Shizuo grabs Izaya by the wrist and pulls him back over to the cage.

“It’s getting late. I’m going to need to go to work soon.”

“...Are you leaving? How long?” Izaya isn’t fighting him, so he lets go of his wrist to let him enter the cage on his own, instead of just shoving him inside like he was about to. He does notice the way Izaya rubs his wrist a bit, but he tries not to think about it.

“I work all night. So just go to sleep and I’ll be here when you wake up.” His shift is eight hours, not including the time it takes to walk there, but it’s not that far. 

The omega seems to conflicted, as if there’s something he wishes to say but decides not to. He slowly nods and simply says “alright.”

Shizuo rests his hand on the cage door, poised to shut it. “Is there anything you need before I go?”

“W-water would be nice but….” the omega’s cheek flushes a bit in shame. “...I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

Shizuo’s brows furrow in confusion because he genuinely does not know what Izaya means for a minute. Then he realizes what he means.

“Oh, right. I might… have a water bottle or something I could leave you in there while I’m gone.” Shizuo didn’t really plan this far. He figured it wouldn’t be an issue because he works at night and personally never has to get up to use the bathroom until morning.

Izaya looks a bit demoralized but nods.

After getting the cheap water bottle he bought from a vending machine months ago that’s partially crumpled and full of and dents from being used over and over and placing it inside the cage for Izaya, Shizuo gets up reluctantly. “Alright then, if there’s nothing else I’m heading out.”

“Ah, erm… one more thing?”

“Yeah?” Shizuo sits back down. At this rate he’ll be late for work, what else could he need?

“...Can I… get a good night kiss?” Izaya asks as he looks up through his long lashes, shyly leaning forward.

Shizuo doesn’t even have the functioning brain cells to wonder why Izaya would ask for something like that when those dark eyes peer up at him from under those long, feathery lashes.

“Ye-Yeah, of course!” Shizuo tries his best not to sound too excited but he nods so many times there’s no hiding it. He leans into the cage for the first time. He hasn’t wanted to invade Izaya’s ‘safe space’ without permission, but this is definitely permission, right? And no, he’s not breathing hard. Nope, not at all. That would be weird.

Shizuo closes his eyes and leans further in the cage with his lips perked expecting… 

But there’s no soft lips against his own. There’s nothing but the gentle touch of skin. He opens his eyes to see black hair as Izaya presses his forehead to Shizuo’s lips. He’s slightly disappointed but brightens up when Izaya leans back out with a smile, “Thanks. Good luck at work and good night.” And curls back into his ‘nest’ to sleep with Shizuo’s clothes and scent. 

A kiss on the forehead is probably for the best anyway. There’s no telling how long he would’ve tried to stay half inside of Izaya’s cage if he got to taste Izaya’s lips and he really needs to go to work. He actually likes this job and really can’t afford to be fired now. Not when he’s got to feed Izaya something that isn’t depressing.

He closes the cage and locks it for the night, feeling an immediate peace of mind wash over him when the lock clicks shut. As long as he’s got the key and Izaya’s in there, Izaya can’t leave and no one else can touch him. As long as Izaya’s in there he’ll be fine. Shizuo can leave him for a few hours.

He quickly changes into his bartender uniform without much thought about changing clothes in front of Izaya and heads out for the night, triple checking that he locks the doors and windows.

He’ll have some explaining to do when he gets to work, but it shouldn’t be an issue. His bosses are surprisingly understanding and whenever he needs it most they always seem ready to accept anything he tells them. Shizuo worries sometimes that if they’re too nice some of his co-workers might take advantage of them, but so far he doesn’t think that’s happened yet.

Whatever, all the better for Shizuo. If he just apologizes and tells them how much he really needs this job they’ll let it go.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: Finally, they get to meet when Izaya has a clear head! I wonder if they'll be able to get along? And will izaya survive or escape before his next heat? Stay tuned!!! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Bad: The heat may be over but the madness continues. Will Shizuo finally stop being a huge fucking creep? Will Izaya be able to keep up the act or will his natural personality make Shizuo want to throw him out into the street? Is Kadota searching for Izaya? You'll have to wait and see.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Perhaps it’s because of how strict and unforgiving the ranking system which guides the lives of all that many have tried to defy their fate. Or maybe it is because of such cruelty that amongst the field of gravestones a path was paved to a miracle.

Although structurally the world only recognizes ranks from class D to A, there are rumors of another rank that that surpasses them. The legendary S-rank.

Some believe that there is no such thing as an S-rank, the special class, that doesn’t fit the normal standard testing results. They believe that there was strictly D to A and anything abnormal is just stronger A-ranks and nothing more. Still, many believe otherwise, that there is the possibility of mutant-like, bizarre genes that just can’t be classified so neatly.  Thus came the formation of Nebula Corporation, which was only formed about 100 years ago. The specific way to test the ‘ranks’ is still new but historians have been speculating those who rose into unnatural power despite their circumstances to have been S-rank classes.  Some of the famous S-rank omegas are said to be Daji, Helen of Troy, Valeria Messalina, and Napoleon. Some famous S-rank alphas are supposedly Joan of Arc, King Arthur, Alexander the Great and Cleopatra.

And then there are the S-rank betas. Since betas are born with a certain amount of immunities to pheromones, most turn to passions such as philosophy, art, and science. Therefore, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Confucius, Galileo Galilei and Marie Curie are often rumored to be S-ranking betas.  

Of course, most of these are considered folklore since most of this list was conjured up by independent scientists and historians. There is no hard-core proof that these individuals displayed something specifically unnatural except rumors, speculations, and theories surrounding these subjects who changed their fate and left a mark on the history of the world. The Nebula Corporation has yet to rank an S-rank class individual in modern time.

Now thinking about it, it makes sense if Daji or Messalina or even Helen was an S-rank omega, Izaya thinks. Especially if they too had the ability to use commands and could control A-rank emperors and kings and seduce them.... And Napoleon was able to conquer all of Europe despite everyone believing it is impossible for someone like him.

Izaya frowned at the list he knew were theoretically S-rank omegas. Most were…. villains in history books. That’s not very nice. Granted, who can blame them. If the world was against them, they had no choice to fight to rise into power or die a slave.  It wasn’t that they were born villains, the world created them to become them.

Of course, these are all theories. There is no way of finding out that they truly were S-ranks or just clever A or B ranks. Besides, some think Catherine the Great and Genghis Khan were S-rank alphas and they were no heroes.

Izaya’s head hurt as he turned around in his tiny cage. He had a lot to think about. He did enjoy a fair amount of ancient history but it wasn’t his main subject. Now he had to try to recall from his memories what he knew about the S-rank omegas in history books and their theoretical rises to power.

None of the books said anything about a command ability.  
  
Granted, if they did have that ability… they would guard that secret with their lives since their lives literally depended on it.

Or maybe Izaya is a special case. Perhaps not all S-ranks are the same. No S-rank alpha he knew in history books displayed powers such as uprooting a full grown tree and using it as an arrow to kill a king in a castle or something ridiculous like that. If some alpha had such supernatural powers like Shizuo, the history books would surely take a note of it.

There are a lot of things he wishes he could research. A lot of things he wishes he could look up or ask around about. Or even travel. But he can’t. Not when he’s stuck in this cage.

Instead of dwelling on what he can’t do, Izaya always was the type to figure out what he _can_ do. Already he is figuring out what kind of man Shizuo is. What he likes, what he might like, what he dislikes and what he might dislike. What makes him angry, what seems to make him happy. They are all very important now that Izaya’s life depends on this man’s pleasure and displeasure. Of course, Izaya doesn’t like it and is already thinking of ways to escape but first, survival. He already failed his attempt at escape. Right now Shizuo will keep even a closer watch. That boarded window at least gives Izaya a fair understanding of that.

Then Izaya freezes in realization.

Shizuo had said yes when asked if he was an ‘S-rank.’

….Had Nebula… actually tested him before? And classified him as S-rank?

If so, how many people have Nebula ‘secretly’ tested S-ranks and kept it hidden from the world? Like what they tried to do...with him.

Izaya feels smaller and even more helpless as the world continued to grow bigger, darker and more hopeless than being caged in this dismal room.

At least he has found an S-rank alpha. If anything, that is a tremendous luck on his side.  And he had a better chance in life if he stuck with the highest ranking alpha who can protect him and you can’t get any higher than an S-rank alpha.

...Izaya just wishes he wasn’t so dumb.

At least he’s eye candy, Izaya sighs to himself for small comfort, even if he would rather settle for someone with better ‘stats,’ like some role-playing game where you customize your character.

Once Shizuo gets back, Izaya will see just how much he can manipulate this man into being _his_.

* * *

 

Shizuo wishes he could say he’s come home with groceries to feed Izaya a better breakfast, but the reality is, none of the stores are open yet and they don’t sell anything worth feeding his omega at twenty-four-hour convenience stores.

But he’s got two eggs left in his fridge, so fried eggs for breakfast is going to have to do the job for a few more hours.

He opens the front door empty-handed and announces his arrival as he’s toeing his shoes off. It’s not that he wants to wake Izaya so much as he wouldn’t want to startle Izaya. He doesn’t want there to be any mystery about who’s at the front door for this highly sought after omega.

“It’s just me. My shift’s over.” He calls towards his room, loosening his bow tie as he walks over to where he left Izaya.

There’s a bit of paranoia in the back of this mind that asks:

_What are you going to do if he’s not there?_

Shizuo’s decided to ignore it because Izaya’s going to be there. They’ve already talked about why he can’t leave and Izaya’s seen reason. He’s going to be there.

Sure enough, when he gets to his room, he finds Izaya, curled up in his cage in a pile of Shizuo’s clothes just like he left him, still in his cocoon. He doesn’t move, leading Shizuo to believe he’s still fast asleep and it’s unbearably cute. Just like the little hamster Shizuo had teased him about being earlier.  

Shizuo steps through the doorway and starts to make himself comfortable by pulling off his bow tie and unbuttoning his vest - both of which he folds into his dresser carefully.

Izaya still hasn’t moved despite Shizuo shuffling around, opening and closing drawers, so he approaches the cage slowly to look inside more carefully. His omega musr be very tired. These last few weeks must have been hell for him. The alpha in Shizuo preens a bit at having provided a place of refuge that his omega feels safe enough into sleep so deeply.

He sits down with his legs spread wide to land on either side of the cage and watches Izaya’s limp body while he fills his lungs with the omega’s scent again - far better at calming his nearly constant nerves than the cigarette he had on his break.

“Hey, Izaya.” He calls softly to see if Izaya will stir.

“Nnngh…..” The omega makes a soft moaning sound as he turns in his cage that grips. A sound that clamps onto Shizuo’s heart painfully, his chest tightening from just how cute Izaya is when he sleeps. He has the sudden urge to take a picture or record it, but his phone is absolute garbage and only good for calling work and his brother.

He wraps his arms around the cage again and pulls it into his chest for another hug, to be just a little closer.

“Izzaayyyaaa…” He murmurs again in another half-hearted attempt to wake his omega. He wants to wake Izaya so he can talk to him and they can learn more about each other. Little things like hobbies and interests and dreams. But another part of him is perfectly happy to just stay like this and watch Izaya quietly for a little longer.

“Mmmrr?” Izaya almost sounds like a confused cat as he blinks open his eyes and yawns… and tries to stretch inside the small space, contorting this way and that. Then, he rubs his eyes with both his hands. “Yes, Shizu-chan? Oh,” Izaya leans his head against the cage bars where Shizuo’s head is and yawns, “and good morning.”

Izaya’s yawn is contagious and suddenly Shizuo is hit by the exhaustion that comes with such abrupt relaxation. The talking is going to have to wait.

“Don’t call me that.” He grunts. “Just checking if you need anything before I go to sleep for a few hours myself.”  

“Ah! Toilet… and food?” Izaya tilts his head as he asks the last part of the question with uncertainty. If he had bunny ears, one would have flopped over.

Shizuo nods and pushes the cage across the floor towards the bathroom before picking himself up, suddenly feeling ten years older, to open the cage and let Izaya piss or whatever.

“I don’t have any more food yet, but how does a fried egg sound? I’ll go shopping later today.”

“Erm...when do you get paid?” Izaya’s voice comes from inside the bathroom along with the sound of peeing.

“End of the month, but I’ve got enough for a bag of frozen vegetables and some sauces or somethin’.”

“....I see. I have a better idea actually.” Izaya comes back to Shizuo’s view as he washes his hands. He flinches at the cold.

“Speaking of which, I really want a hot bath from now on. I was scared I was going to catch a cold last night.”

“Don’t have hot water.” He grunts, ears flushing in shame at his financial status. Shizuo runs hot and is used to it by now, so it hardly bothers him.

“Yes, but you have a working stove. Meaning if you can get a pot and boil water, you can dump it in the tub. Mix it with some cold water and you got a warm bath.” Izaya explains in a neutral tone as he turns around, flicking off the water from his hands since there’s no towel.

He’d thought of that before, being no stranger to poverty. There’s a certain art to living minimally. It just seemed like more of a hassle than it was worth to Shizuo, who’s always preferred quick showers that use less water and energy than filling a warm bath.

But… He can do it for Izaya if that’s what he really wants.

“Sure.”

“Yay!” Izaya skips and hops happily. “Oh and about the food… I do have an idea. But I can eat the fried egg with rice, thank you.”

“Uh, okay…” Shizuo blinks, confused by the sudden, bubbly personality shift. But it really just shows how little he actually knows Izaya. “Are the blankets and pillows dry yet? I don’t mind you having my clothes, but it might make you more comfortable if they are.”

“I think they’re dry…” Izaya walks over to the clothesline and pats them. Yep, they’re dry. He grabs the whole bundle at once and struggles to carry them, nearly tripping when he steps on a blanket trailing around his feet. It’s like he’s trying to carry a gigantic teddy bear or a mountain of cotton candy.

“Need some help?” Shizuo snorts, tilting his head a bit while he watches Izaya struggle.

“How?” Izaya tries to peek around his pile.

Shizuo nudges the cage out of the doorway with his foot and steps inside the doorway, holding his arms out in offering. But he’s very careful not to get too close and doesn’t grab the pile from Izaya’s arms without permission. He wants Izaya to know he can respect boundaries.

Izaya hands the pile over to Shizuo who doesn’t have nearly as much difficulty being much taller and having longer arms than Izaya. Now that he thinks of it… He’s pretty sure this is the first time they’ve stood next to each other, and while there may be a mass of bedding between them, the difference is still striking. He hasn’t seen many omegas in his life, let alone met them, so he’s not really sure how Izaya compares to the average omega in terms of size. But Shizuo’s taller than almost everyone he meets, so he doesn’t think his own body would make for a good scale.

He hadn’t moved the cage very far from the door on purpose, so when he crouches down to stuff the blankets and pillows into the cage his body is mostly in front of the doorway.

“Alright,” he rights himself and turns back to Izaya. “You want to keep all my clothes in there or can I have a tee-shirt and some sweatpants back?” He normally sleeps in his boxers but without a blanket, he’s going to want some clothes on at least.

“.... Can I keep just one of your shirt to cuddle with?” Izaya asks almost as if Shizuo’s taking away all his favorite toys. “You can have the rest back.”

Shizuo practically chokes on surprise, embarrassment exploding across his face and it’s stupid but damn it he can’t help that he’s shy.

“Y-yeah, of course! I- I just want some things to sleep in as all. You can keep as m-much as you want…”

He pulls out a few articles of clothing but leaves more than just one shirt. He pulls the cage back over to Izaya and moves aside so Izaya can get back in. He’s embarrassed and… confused. It’s like how Izaya asked for a kiss last night. Once he got away from Izaya he was able to think about it more and frankly… It just didn’t make any sense. He certainly doesn’t dislike Izaya being sweet and affectionate, but it’s very sudden.

He decides not to comment on Izaya’s rather drastic change from when he yelled that he would never mate with a person he just met a few days ago and see what happens.

Izaya crawls back in the cage obediently and Shizuo locks it back up. He doesn’t feel the same intense rush of relief he did last night, but there’s still something satisfying about it when he does it.

“Is there any particular way you like your eggs?” Shizuo asks, carrying the cage back into the center of the room.

“Sunny side up. If you ever make it in a soup, poached please.” Izaya starts comfortably rearranging the blankets so he can curl up in them again.

“Uhh… I have water? Is that…?” Soup is mostly water, right?

“No~ another time. Like in a ramen.”

“Right, sunny side up then.” Shizuo rolls up his sleeves and turns to the kitchen, leaving the doorway open so they have a fairly clear view of each other. This way Izaya may feel safer if he can see his alpha and Shizuo will feel more at ease seeing his omega. “How well-done do you like it?”

“I like my yolk runny.”

Shizuo hums but really doesn’t have much to say. He wishes he did though, enjoying every menial piece of information he can get from Izaya. The little things matter. Soon enough he has half a bowl of white rice topped with an egg, sunny-side up and runny. Hot and ready for Izaya.

He brings it back into the room and opens the cage again to hand it to Izaya.

“Need anything else? More water? A book?”

“Water, please…. And what books do you have?”

Shizuo leaves the bowl with Izaya and gets up to get him some water, closing the cage but… Not feeling the need to lock it this time. He’ll just be a few feet away and it’ll only be a few seconds.

“Mostly books on plants. A few of them are kinda sciencey but… I’m not really into science. Some of them get kinda complicated. Mostly it’s just stuff on gardening and native plants. That kind of thing.” He sits back down in front of Izaya and opens the cage to hand him the water. “I’ve got a few mysteries too. Like the old school ones.”

“...I guess give me all of them? And a pen or pencil… with some paper, please? I want to write some stuff so you can maybe go borrow books from the library.”

Shizuo nods and leans back to reach under his bed to drag out the fairly large cardboard box that’s underneath without having to get up again. He usually reads in bed so he doesn’t see any point to keep them anywhere else. Inside the box, there’s also a small notepad and a few kinda broken pencils. They can still be written with but sometimes he snaps them in half without thinking.

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to fit all of them in there,” Shizuo says, putting the box in his lap and tilting it towards Izaya. “But you can pick out whatever you want.” He has a fairly good collection of books, in his own opinion. It’s how he passes the time and since he really doesn’t have a life outside of work or a TV he gets books.

“Maybe keep it outside the cage and tip the box over? I think I can slide my hand in and grab the books.”

“Um, if you’re sure you can…” Shizuo agrees, a bit uncertain. He hadn’t thought of Izaya being able to reach outside the cage since his own hands are too big to fit through the bars, and he finds the idea… very unsettling. Shizuo doesn’t really want to encourage him to reach outside his little safe space but if Izaya can do it then… Shizuo supposes that’s what he’ll do, encouragement or not.

He closes the cage door and tips the box towards him as Izaya suggested.

“How’s that?”

“Better.” Izaya tests it out by grabbing one of the books and twisting it to slide through the bars. It works.

Shizuo nods and makes a mental note of this. He supposes this is the best way for him to find out this ability and decides he’ll have to keep everything well out of arm’s reach of the cage. He doesn’t know what Izaya’s capable of doing or if he’ll decide to try to escape again.

“Then I’m going to sleep.” He yawns again just at the thought of it. How long has it been since he last slept well? Not since Izaya got here, that’s for damn sure. “I’ll set an alarm and try not to sleep for more than a few hours.... Just shout if you need anything.”

He turns away to change, closes the curtains, and flops on his bare mattress. Shizuo’s unconscious almost immediately.

* * *

Izaya is bored out of his mind. He had a good sleep already and now he has nothing to do but sleep again. The books Shizuo brought are even more boring, maybe it’ll help him fall asleep if he keeps reading. He can see why pet dogs always want to play with their master even when they’re asleep. They are gone 9 -12 hours at work, then sleep another 7-9 hours. No wonder they demand play time!

He has written everything he had wanted to do and has flipped through all the books he has. None are all that interesting but he really hopes that Shizuo is willing to go to the library with him.

The bed creaks as Shizuo turns over in his sleep followed by a low groan. Almost incoherent except for something that sounds suspiciously like “Iza…”

...Uh-oh, Izaya thinks. Is this alpha having some wet dreams? Curious, he moves towards Shizuo’s side of the cage and calls out softly, “yes?”

Shizuo rolls over again so he’s facing towards Izaya and through the dim light of the morning Izaya can see that Shizuo’s bunched up the shirt he’s wearing and pressed it to his nose. Probably smelling like Izaya after he’d slept on it all night.

“Iza… ‘s okay…” He slurs.

“...” Izaya isn’t sure what this man is dreaming. Or is he pretending to be asleep? No, he’s not that smart or cunning. Nor does it serve any ulterior motive, probably not this man.

If that’s the case… hmmm.

“What...will be okay?” He tries asking, hoping Shizuo would speak more.

Shizuo grumbles something that cannot be human language and tosses an arm out over the side of the mattress to hug it, scrunching it sideway towards his body effortlessly even in his sleep.

“Okay…’s okay… you’ll be happy… promise…”

The rest of what Shizuo might’ve said is lost because that stupid alpha’s rubbing his face into the shirt, probably drooling all over it like an animal.

Uh-huh. Okay, so not a wet dream… maybe.

Before Izaya could investigate further, there’s a LOUD BLARING sound from a small clock on the side table that makes him jump.

Shizuo sits up abruptly, complete with a graceless snort and a nasty case of bedhead. He looks confused before he realizes what’s going on and shuts off the alarm.

“Oh, yeah…” He mumbles to himself, grinding his palms into his eye sockets.

“Good afternoon, Shizu-chan.” Izaya chirps like a bird. “How was your sleep?”

“Fine.” He grunts. Clearly, he’s not a morning person...

“Do you need to get something to eat?” Izaya wants to make sure he’s in a lot better mood before he pops the question. Actually… a lot of questions.

“‘m always hungry…” As if that’s an answer. He swings his legs out of bed and heads to the kitchen.

“...” Izaya watches him drag his feet to the kitchen and files that information in his head. He doesn’t ask further since he knows Shizuo’s probably been saving the best food for… him. That’s very sweet of Shizuo but… there are far better ways to live than this.

He can’t really see from this distance but he does see Shizuo scoop rice into the bowl and use what looks like salt and pepper shaker. Izaya has heard Shizuo mention this but to actually see it is a reality check. Then Shizuo dips his head into the sink and drinks straight from the faucet for tap water, drinking for a solid thirty seconds. It’s actually a weird amount of time to be drinking without breathing. It’s like a horse drinking, not a human.   
  
When Shizuo comes back from the kitchen, Izaya has his mind set.

“Do you have any plans today?” Izaya asks almost casually.

“Get food.” He shrugs and ruffles his hair, not making it any better or worse really.

“What are you planning to buy?” Izaya sits up or tries his best to in his cage.

“Uh… probably a bag of frozen vegetables… one of those mixed ones. You said you wanted vegetables, right?” He frowns like he’s thinking deeply about something. “And… I should have enough for… I don’t know. Some kinda sauce? A box of noodles? One or the other, not both.”

“...” Izaya sighs. He should be happy with that but he really can’t. He can’t eat food from below the poverty line for more than a few days.

“I’ll be honest, I think I might get sick if I eat something like that every day.” Izaya carefully admits as he peers over at Shizuo. “Can I offer you a different idea?”

“Get sick?” Shizuo blurts out like it’s a foreign concept. Like he didn’t know a person could get sick from eating food that hadn’t spoiled. “... What’s your idea?... I’m not stealing, just so you know.” He glances to the corner of the room were Niekawa’s clothes lay in a heap.

“...Not stealing. But…” Izaya takes a pause to create an illusion of hesitation. It’s all an act and he knows he has to play this one very carefully. “But it requires you to trust me.” Then he lowers his gaze in shame. “And I know… I haven’t earned it yet.”

Shizuo crosses his arms and his face hardens immediately. “Yeah. Trusting you didn’t go well for either of us last time.”

“Well, maybe I can earn it this time?” He looks up and pleads a bit. “I promise I can make it worthwhile.”

“What exactly is your idea?” Shizuo looks doubtful, but he’s listening.

“I can double your money,” Izaya promises. “It’ll be enough to at least buy some proper food for both you and me.”

“Just tell me the idea, you’re starting to sound like a con man.”

“It will require… you to spend the rest of the funds you have… on a collar and a leash. And a long coat with a hood to hide my face. Preferably with a fur or something.” Which would mean, Shizuo would be taking him outside. He hears a sharp intake of breath and a deep scowl crosses the blond’s face.

“I’m not taking you outside.” Shizuo snaps “Besides, I said I had enough for frozen vegetables and a bottle of sauce. Not a coat, collar, and leash.”

“But I can’t live like this Shizu-chan~!” Izaya breaks and whines pitifully. At least it sounds very pitiful in Izaya’s ears. He’s _never_ whined before.

“You can and you will!” Shizuo barks. “At least until the end of the month.”

“I need things like sushi and warm miso soup. I like coffee and tea. I like stretching my legs when I sleep!” Izaya hears his voice break again and chokes up. He knows he’s acting but at the same time, he’s making himself worked up. It doesn’t take much again either since he hates his situation anyway. “And I want things like hugs and books, being able to watch T.V. and the news! I can’t do that anymore!” Now he starts crying. Bawling even.

Shizuo grits his teeth and looks away, much like a parent struggling to say no to their child.

“You’re going to stay put and eat what I get you.” He hisses between clenched teeth. “Can’t buy what you need for your idea, even if I trusted you enough to do it.”

“But I can.” Izaya sniffs. “I can buy what we want. But it requires you to buy me a collar so I can go outside with you.” He wipes his eyes with the long sleeves of Shizuo’s shirt he’s wearing, the end curling toward his first. “Or do you...want me to earn it somehow?” Izaya pauses as if the idea just hit him, even though this has been all planned out several hours ago. “D-do you want… me to give…. y-you know….” He flushes his cheeks or at least manages to look extremely ashamed.

“N-no! Damn it, Izaya, you’re not listening! Do you have any idea how much a collar costs? I looked at the cheapest ones in that omega store and I seriously do not have the money to pay for it until I get my paycheck.” He’s breathing harder now, trying to calm down. “I’m sorry I’m- I’ve got nothing for you. So just sit there until the end of the month and then we can talk about your idea.”

“...” Izaya is still wiping his tears but in actuality, he’s thinking fast. So all that acting was for nothing. Shizuo is seriously too broke to even buy him a collar. And his plan won’t work unless he goes out himself and does the job.

Unless…

Izaya sighs, there is one other way. Something that can earn both Shizuo’s trust and the money he needs.

“You can sell my suppressants, Shizu-chan.” He gives in. At this point, Shizuo would never let him have them so it’s no different from it being in the trash. It’ll kill two birds with one stone. “It should be valuable enough for you to buy me a collar and leash.”

Shizuo doesn’t say anything for a while. He takes deep breaths, his leg shaking.

“... What will you do if I get you those?” He sounds like he’s wearing down.

“Like I said, I’ll double your money.” Izaya curls inside his cage, tiredly. “You’ll be with me the entire time, I won’t run away. And I won’t do anything illegal.”  He closes his eyes because his eyes are starting to hurt from all that crying. “It’d be nice if you got me a nice coat… not something too cheap.”

“And you can’t tell me the details of this plan because?” He looks skeptical, but at least the conversation is going somewhere.

“That’s why I said, this requires your trust. I can’t tell you..” Izaya doesn’t want to say he doesn’t trust Shizuo but it’s somewhat true. He can’t trust Shizuo just yet with the details of his plan.

“You can’t tell me, but it’s not illegal?” Shizuo heaves a sigh, rubbing his temples and shaking his leg so much the floor vibrates. But eventually, he gives in. “... Fine. But if I even start to think something’s off, I’m bringing you right back and that’s it.”

He strides across the room to yank open his bedside drawer and snatch the suppressants inside. “I’ll get you a collar and a leash. And some kind of coat if there’s any money left. You stay right here.”

And again Izaya is left alone in the cage in the empty room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: thank you for reading! We love everyone's reviews, i love how you guys are thinking deeply into this omegaverse world!
> 
> Bad: And the plot just keeps on rolling.


	8. Chapter 8

Are the suppressants really enough to buy a collar, leash, and a nice fur coat? Shizuo really has no concept of the value of these things, so when he goes to the pawn shop he just glares and looms over the shopkeeper until the poor man is on the verge of tears. In the end, Shizuo’s willing to bet whatever’s in the bottle is some top of the line shit because it came from the rich place where Izaya was being held, prisoner.

He doesn’t even need to say anything and in minutes the owner of the store is whimpering that he really can’t go any higher and begging Shizuo to just take the money and go.

It’s a lot more money than Shizuo was expecting to get. He really doesn’t know anything about haggling and the only pills he’s ever even considered buying were off-brand painkillers. These suppressants are… a lot more valuable. Apparently.

Then again, Izaya’s a lot more valuable.

Now that he’s out of his apartment and has sold the suppressants, he’s finally walked off his temper. He feels a little guilty now for snapping at Izaya but in his defense, what was Izaya expecting? He already broke Shizuo’s trust once and was demanding a whole list of things Shizuo didn’t have and couldn’t get for him. Except for the hugging part. But that wasn’t really on Shizuo’s radar in the heat of the moment.

He’s never felt any shame for his poverty before and he still isn’t ashamed for living minimally, but when Izaya started whining like that, he did start to feel ashamed. His future mate was begging for him to provide for him and he couldn’t do it. No alpha could stay proud in the face of that.

For his mysterious little plan that supposedly isn’t illegal and will make Shizuo a lot of money quickly, Izaya needs a collar, leash, fur coat, and Shizuo’s unquestioning trust.

Yeah, Shizuo’s suspicious.

Still, he’ll go along with it. For now. He already sold the suppressants and he sure as hell isn’t going to just keep the money for himself. It’s a lot of money, plenty for the food Izaya wants if Shizuo decided to forget about Izaya’s probably dangerous or illegal plan, but he’s not sure it’s enough for a collar, leash, and a fancy fur coat…

But without thinking his feet may have already taken him to a solution. He had been thinking about where in the world he would find a nice fur coat and was so lost in thought that he unconsciously went to the place he buys all his clothes, except for his bartending uniforms. The local thrift store.

There’s no guarantee he’ll find a fur coat, nevermind a nice one, but… Eh, worth a look. I’m already here.

He walks in, blind to the stains on the linoleum, but not to the thrift store smell. The smell of other people’s things… He doesn’t want that on Izaya, but he doesn’t have a lot of options.

The employees ignore him as always and he repays them in kind and starts to wade through the junk. Even if he were to ask for help they probably wouldn’t know where to look any better than he would. The only sort of order the place has is the separation items by type. Men and women’s wear are separate, the cookware is in some other precarious pile, there’s this strangely large area of board games, chairs are everywhere, and so on. When Shizuo wades over to the clothing racks he realizes that he doesn’t know whether he’d have better luck in the women’s or men’s section. Izaya’s a man, obviously, but fur coats have always struck him as more of a woman thing.

He’ll probably have to look through both. A lot of the clothes get mixed up by careless patrons anyway.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been searching for, but it’s been long enough for him to get annoyed at all the smells and moth balls and then stop caring about them.

Eventually, halfway through the women’s side, tucked between this XXL purple dress that’s covered in this flower pattern and a mustard yellow blouse, he finds exactly what he needs. A long, black coat with a wide fur-lined hood. Perfect. Or… good enough. Either way, Shizuo is done here. On his way to the register, he grabs some random collar and leash from the box they have that’s always half-full of them at least and finally heads home.

* * *

This time when Shizuo enters his apartment he doesn’t think to announce his arrival. He feels… weird for having yelled at Izaya only a few hours ago. But he got what Izaya asked for and really just wants to put this shit behind him.

He enters his room quietly with his shoulders drawn up. He probably shouldn’t be creeping up on Izaya like this, but he’s anxious that Izaya will give him the cold shoulder. Or be skittish around him. Or be anything like he was when Shizuo first brought him home while he was in heat. But when his eyes fall on Izaya, his heart melts.

Izaya’s curled up cutely in his cage, looking perfectly content and enjoying a good nap. He even has Shizuo’s shirt clutched in his hands and has cuddled up to it like it’s a childhood security blanket. All of the tension drains out of Shizuo immediately. Izaya’s scent soothes him and before him is the absolute picture of a peaceful day. Not for the first time he wishes he could crawl into Izaya’s safe space and become part of it. He wants to be the nest Izaya’s laying in and the shirt he’s cradling by his face. But that cage is super small and that safe space is all for Izaya and he shouldn’t do anything to mess it up. He doesn’t want to make his omega any more nervous than he usually is.

Instead of waking up Izaya, he pulls the coat out of the shopping back and decides to try and do something about the smell. After all, he’s in no rush to carry out Izaya’s plan that involves taking Izaya outside and probably more lies.

“Nnngh… Shizu-chan? Are you back already?” Izaya yawns and stretches again but winces as his hand slams against the close corners.

“Yeah, it’s just me,” Shizuo says softly, not wanting to be too noisy since Izaya just woke up. “I got the stuff you asked for, I was just going to clean it first.”

“Can I come out now? It’s so cramped here…”

“I know it is, sorry, but it’s not time to go yet. Just stay put a little longer.” Shizuo crouches down in front of the cage and places his hand on top of it.

“What are you doing? Can I help?” The young omega sits up as much as he can given the low ceiling of the cage and peers through the bars. It forces him to look up at Shizuo in the cutest angle possible.

“No, that’s alright, just relax.” Shizuo reaches into his pocket to pull out what’s left of the money. “This is what’s left over. I got you a coat, collar, and leash… So I guess you’ll be able to go outside with me now…” He holds the money out to Izaya in offering, pushing it through the bars but making sure his fingers do not go beyond them. It was Izaya’s idea and his drugs, so he’s not about to keep the money from him.

“Oh, and… Do you know if cleaning a fur coat is the same as other clothes? It doesn’t seem like it is but I have no clue.”

“Can I see it?” Izaya asks as he takes the money.

Shizuo nods and gets up to hold the coat out so Izaya can see the whole thing. Izaya reaches out of his cage to touch it and Shizuo almost flinches back. Izaya doesn’t seem to care at all about staying in his little nest and Shizuo… doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like how Izaya can reach through the bars and does reach through the bars. Like the protective boundary means nothing to him.

But Shizuo doesn’t flinch. Izaya nods in approval as he runs his fingers over the fabric and through the fur fringe around the hood.

“The coat should be hand-washed, I think. The fur is soft but fake… Even so, it looks nice. Thank you.” Izaya’s smile seems to be genuine although there’s something in his eyes that’s off.

But it’s not like they can return it or have any other options, so it’ll have to do.

Shizuo nods again and gets up to wash the coat in the bathroom sink, trying to be gentle but also trying to get the stink out.

“... Can you tell me your plan yet?” Shizuo calls from the bathroom.

“Do you trust me?”

Shizuo sighs, turns off the tap, and wrings out the fabric gently before hanging it over the shower to let it dry. He wants to say yes, but he’s not sure if he can. He turns the question over in his mind a few times before he decides what the most honest words he can use are.

“... I have to.” He does have to trust Izaya in order to give him a better life and one day become mates. It’s not like he can be mated to someone he doesn’t trust. He needs to at least try.

“Then that’s all the plan I need, Shizu-chan.” Izaya’s voice is soft. Almost warm and sweet and it makes Shizuo feel guilty for doubting him even though he has perfectly legitimate reasons to do so.

He decides it would be best to drop the subject. He gives the drying jacket an experimental sniff and the smell still makes his nose wrinkle but… it’s better. Kinda just smells like other, wet people and cheap soap now but that’ll fade eventually. It always does.

 

  
Izaya puts on the coat in the room and twirls around. The coat swooshes with him luxuriously. He squeals like some excited girl in a new dress.

“This is perfect!” Izaya hugs himself and then throws his arms around Shizuo’s neck and gets on his tippy toes to kiss Shizuo on the cheek.

Shizuo flushes from the kiss and from having made his omega happy and suddenly he’s feeling like today might be okay. He’s not exactly sure what he should do with his hands or if he should reciprocate or if Izaya’s just an affectionate person.

Before Shizuo can make up his mind, Izaya’s already let him go and is jumping around his little bedroom happily. It’s really adorable but…

Shizuo clears his throat and speaks up. “I’m glad you’re happy but before we do anything, we’re going to need to set some rules.”

“Okay.” Izaya readily agrees.

“First,” Shizuo grabs the collar and leash from the bag. “No taking this off under any circumstances, okay? Everyone needs to think you’re owned. It’s for your safety.” Well, probably more for the safety of anyone who might lay their hands on him in front of Shizuo.

“Okay,” Izaya nods, clearly oblivious to Shizuo’s inner thoughts.

He walks over to Izaya with the collar raised so his intentions are clear before he starts to wrap the collar around Izaya’s neck.

“Second, and this is the most important rule, you need to be as close to me as possible at all times. If you leave my sight for even a second, I’m taking you straight home.”

“Okay,” again he agrees with a nod.

He pulls the collar tight with two fingers worth of space between Izaya’s neck and the worn collar and secures it. “And lastly, try not to interact with people on the street too much. They should leave you alone with me next to you but… don’t like… don’t just look at other people. And definitely, don’t smile at anybody. Don’t do anything to make people think it’s okay to start a conversation with you.”

Izaya smiles sweetly and kisses Shizuo on the cheek while on his tippy toes again. “Okay.” He doesn’t seem to mind the collar and the leash, or the rules, or how tight it is around his neck despite it being his first time wearing a collar, probably. He does, however, finger the leather edges as it’s foreign on his skin.

“Okay,” Shizuo says back to him, well, mostly to himself for reassurance. He takes a deep, calming breath. “Are you ready to go?”

“Ready when you are. Are you ready?” Izaya tilts his head and smiles. With him standing by the window with what little ray of sunshine is drifting down, he looks like a perfect angel. It makes Shizuo want to hug him. Hug him and never let him out of this apartment for other people to see.

“No.” Shizuo sighs and chuckles a bit. “Come on.” He tugs on the leash gently and heads for the front door.

They’ve barely left and Shizuo just wants to go home before he puts another person in the ER. The amount of paranoia tingling through his head from the possibility that Izaya will slip away or that someone will try to take him away from Shizuo is bouncing off the walls of his skull so rapidly, it just feels like his brain itself is screaming.

They walk side by side with Izaya subtly leading the way. Shizuo keeps the leash wrapped tightly around his white knuckles so many times that Izaya can hardly take a step away from him. The hood keeps Izaya mostly hidden but out on the street most of the people they walk past either cross the street or look away as they pass. Shizuo radiates intimidation just in general and with how tense he is he’s sure it’s worse. But Izaya can stand being around him for some reason, so he supposes it all works out in his favor.

For someone who is wearing a collar and leash in public for the first time, Izaya is unabashed. In fact, he seems to be smiling and quite enjoying himself. Shizuo had told him not to smile too much, didn’t he?

Despite the fact that Shizuo’s holding the leash tightly, Izaya still leads the way confidently, never walking so far as to tug on the leash and make Shizuo anxious. They twist and turn through streets, moving up and up through districts when Shizuo was certain they would end up in one of the shadier parts of his D-class neighborhood. Instead, Izaya leads them to a jewelry store in an A-class mall.

Outside of the store Izaya stops and suddenly holds Shizuo’s hands to his own.

“Okay, remember I told you… you have to trust me?” Izaya looks up through his long lashes, his eyes wide like a puppy. “Now’s that time.”

“I’ve been trusting you this whole time…” Shizuo grumbles a bit childishly. He looks away from Izaya, because he’s so weak to those damn eyes, and indulges himself by running his thumbs over Izaya’s knuckles instead.

“Of course. But this time… it’s a bit different.” Izaya rubs Shizuo’s palm, his fingers soft and gentle and soothing. “This time, it requires your action.”

“I need you to stay quiet no matter what I say or do. Even if I’m doing something alarming. Even when I’m clearly lying. And even when I ask you a question. Just stay quiet and not answer. The only time you need to do anything is if I ask you to come with me when I walk into a door or when I need to leave.”

Shizuo frowns in confusion and looks down at their joined hands. He figures that Izaya probably doesn’t want him to blurt out something stupid, but why wouldn’t he want Shizuo to respond when he asks him a question?

“... Okay. Should I try and look intimidating or anything?”

“If he threatens to hurt me, then go ahead and protect me. But you can look intimidating and growl,” Izaya giggles.

Shizuo sighs again and doesn’t really see the humor in it, but he supposes that doesn’t really matter.

“Fine, I can do that. Let’s get this over with.”

Izaya takes a hold of the leash that Shizuo’s holding and leads him to the entrance. This is practically unseen. An omega leading the alpha inside. Shizuo looks around nervously as they enter, hoping no one is looking too hard. Shizuo certainly doesn’t mind being led around by this confident omega, but the rest of the planet seems to.

“May I… help you?” The fat man with a monocle looks up from his inspection of jewelry he is holding.

Shizuo’s lumbering body almost bumps into some of the many spotless glass cases that he’s not looking at because he’s too busy sizing the man in front of them up. He has no reason to be afraid of this man hurting him or Izaya. What he’s afraid of is Izaya being recognized or losing his cool and smashing that man’s head through a glass case for no reason.

“Hey there,” Izaya waves casually as he walks in a way that makes his hips sway in his long black coat with fur trim. It’s somewhat seductive and charming but Shizuo can’t even enjoy it because they’re in public and there are other people with their eyes on him.

The fat man frowns a bit. He can clearly see that Izaya is an omega leading a particularly large alpha in a bartender suit. What a pair they must make.

The owner of the store clears his throat and lowers the object of his earlier inspection to carefully inspect his new customers. “How may I help you sir,” he says with respect.

Shizuo is bewildered. This is an Alpha shop. With an alpha or beta owner...who is accepting this omega as a customer?

“I’m looking to buy a present for my owner,” Izaya replies coyly with a saccharine voice. Shizuo almost chokes on his own saliva at the words but manages to swallow it successfully.

“We have a wide selection available.” The man nods proudly.

Izaya giggles as he leans on the glass, his chin resting on his hand and grins. “My dear friend. Do you really think an omega like me would come here to buy my owner a present? He could buy this entire store if he wanted to.”

The fat man looks a bit insulted.

Shizuo growls out of reflex at Izaya’s lie. He shouldn’t be reacting to the lie and it’s a ridiculous thing to get upset about, but he can’t fight the instinct.

Izaya waves Shizuo off without turning around. “Oh, don’t mind my chauffeur. He can get overprotective sometimes. ”

“What I’m saying is… ‘I’m’ the best present my owner could ever have.” Izaya taps to himself and winks. “If you get what I mean.”

“So, how may I… be of an assistance.” Offended or not, it looks like Izaya has caught the fat man’s attention with his ritzy, imaginary owner who can apparently buy out a jewelry store. Not to mention, afford this haughty and spoiled omega who stands out and has the freedom to go outside with an alpha as his chauffeur. Izaya surely is an A-class. The best among the best. Which would mean his owner must surely be a wealthy and powerful alpha who could afford him.

Maybe Shizuo should have tried to find a collar that wasn’t in the used bin at the thrift store. Maybe with Izaya’s attitude, stolen designer clothes, and fur coat, it looks like something vintage? That’s a style, right?

“So I have these…” Izaya takes out from his pocket cloth that he had carefully cut out from his silk robe, courtesy from Nebula. The way he had it cut, it looks like a lovely silk ribbon bracelet studded with five perfectly shaped diamonds.

“I got it as a gift. Not from my master of course. If he found out I receive gifts… he might get a tad jealous.” Izaya shrugs as he tosses it on top of the glass, not caring if it damages the diamonds. The man’s eyes widen and it clearly catches his attention. He swipes up the silk cloth from his suit pocket to hold the diamond studded bracelet gently in his hands and fumbles for his monocle.

“I figured, I should get rid of it anyway...and I’d like some extra money for the party I want to plan for my master. He gives me allowances, of course, but I want to spend a bit more than what he usually gives me. You know, throw a lavish one. With me in the center. Besides, I have a ton of these silly things. I like bigger diamonds, you know?”

The fat man swallows as his hands shake. Upon inspection, whatever he is holding in his hand must be a pretty good deal. But he quickly looks up and flashes a smile.

“Well, I take it you wish to sell this?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m here. Unless you don’t buy, and I can go to the shop next door-”

“Oh, no, no. That won’t be necessary. Well, you see… there’s a tiny defect on this diamond, and there’s also a matter of authenticity… I need proof of previous owner or purchase.”

Izaya places his hands on his hips and pouts. “It’s a gift. You know I’m an omega. I can’t buy these on my own.”

“Well, I need to make sure they aren’t stolen…” The fat man sniffs his nose like an annoying little weasel. Shizuo doesn’t know what these diamonds are worth but what he does know is that there’s no way he’s going to give Izaya a fair offer.

“Whatever. I’m going to the next shop then.” Izaya reaches forward to grab the bracelet and leave but the owner quickly moves out of the way.

“Ah, wait. I… I may be able to overlook the authenticity part if… you sell it to me at a slightly lower cost.”

“Fine, I guess. Since I can’t really show proof I got it as a gift. How much?”

“How about, 3,000 cubic?” The man quickly uses his calculator to processes the currency.

“Nonsense. That’s 5 solid 1 karat diamonds on that bracelet. It’s at least 15,000 if not 20,000 cubic.” Izaya huffs.

The owner leans back, his jolly muscles rolling from the exercise. “Well, the man next door won’t even give you 1,000 cubic, I can guarantee it.”

“I think you’re bluffing. I say give me at least 12,000.”

“4,000.” the man counters.

“Look, if you aren’t going to be serious here with a decent offer, you’re wasting my time!” Izaya actually crosses his arms and huffs in front of the man with a higher status than him with zero qualms.

Shizuo thinks that maybe this is the right time to look particularly menacing. This guy is trying to rip his omega off so it’s not hard for him to growl like he’s about to bite out the throat of the man across the counter and take a step forward asserting his stature and dominance. Privately, Shizuo’s pretty impressed with Izaya’s ability to stay in-character and haggle. He wonders if Izaya’s done this before or if it comes naturally to him.

“Fine, 9,000.” The man seems to sweat.

“Look. Let’s say 10,000 and end it. You know these are worth more than 25,000 right? You’re ripping me off.” Izaya leans forward. Shizuo notices that Izaya had upped the earlier estimate by another 5,000.

“Nine….9,500.”

Izaya rolls his eyes. “Fine, keep your shitty 500. We’ll take the 9,500 cubic.” Spoken like a true pampered brat who won’t mind throwing away a 500 cubic, Shizuo thought. Five hundred cubic was more than a week's worth of his salary!

Shizuo bares his teeth, genuinely unhappy with the deal Izaya is settling with. But Izaya decided it was good enough to accept so… He leans back away from the man.

“Settled!” The man wipes his brow, happy to be away from Shizuo’s glare. He goes to the back to open his safe then comes back with the cash. Izaya prods Shizuo to take it, he himself not touching the money.

“Well thank you for the sales, dear customer. I hope you come back again.” The man smiles and rubs his hands together before grabbing the bracelet looking too pleased with himself for Shizuo’s liking.

“See if I ever come back to deal with you again.” Izaya sticks his tongue out. Then tugs at the leash Shizuo’s holding. “Let’s go home. I’ve got a lot of things to prepare.”

Inside his own head, Shizuo is shocked by the amount of money that’s in his hand. He couldn’t even imagine anything more than his 1,800 cubic a month. He carefully pockets the money and it’s not lost on him that Izaya didn’t just double or even triple the amount. He made more than five-times the amount of money Shizuo makes in a month.

“Thank you, Shizu-chan.” Izaya relaxes and lets go of the leash, settling back to being beside him instead of leading once they are away from the shop. He smiles warmly again, back to the gentle and sweet Izaya that Shizuo likes. “See, I told you I’ll at least double the amount if you lend me some money.”

“I guess that wasn’t that dangerous…” He grumbles, not saying anything about the money. “But I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go out too much.”

“I promise I won’t go out without your approval. Actually, I can’t go out without your consent.” Izaya laughs easily. Then he sighs. “Too bad we couldn’t have gotten the diamonds for what they were worth. They were probably about 35,000 cubic to be honest.”

“T-thirty five?!” Shizuo gasps out loud in shock. It did not sound fair at all that the fat man was trying to get 3,000 out of 35,000 cubics worth of diamonds and ended up with 9,500. That man seriously cheated them! And even though Izaya knew, he had to go along with it since he had to pretend to be a frivolous omega! To be fair, if it was up to Shizuo, he would have probably settled for 4,000 cubic if the man’s first offer was 3,000.

“Well, I had appraised it about 5,000 cubic for diamond, but the way he was acting, I think it was worth more than I thought.” Izaya frowns. Then he shrugs. “It doesn’t matter, right? We got more than what we wanted so.” Izaya gives Shizuo a big grin and pats him on the shoulder.

“You did great back there!” Then before Shizuo can react, the omega goes on his tippy toes again to peck another kiss on his cheek. Again, Shizuo blushes like the teenage virgin he most certainly is not. He likes the little kisses; they feel like rewards. Like he’s being a good mate.

“Now then! Let’s get some real food to eat! I’m hungry. Are you up for sushi?”

“Uh, sure.” Shizuo grunts as the omega easily switches the subject matter, unable to think of a reason not to feed his little omega whatever he wants with the amount of money in his pocket. He can’t even remember the last time he had sushi.

“Okay! Let’s go to the one at this mall. This is a really nice place, I hope their sushi is just as good, yes?”

“I guess. Whatever you want.” He shrugs.

Once again Izaya takes the lead in the most discreet way possible with confident strides despite probably having never been in this mall before. When he finds the place he wants to eat at he stops abruptly and turns to Shizuo with wide, excited eyes like a kid who wants to go into a candy store. And how can Shizuo refuse?

The place has an unusual name, ‘Russia Sushi.’ True to its unusual name, the place is decorated with an assortment of Russian ornaments alongside the traditional Japanese maneki neko. They’re seated immediately and the place isn’t nearly as crowded as Shizuo was expecting it to be. Now that they have to interact with people, Izaya changes his persona again. This time, he slips back, prompting Shizuo to take the lead like he’s supposed to.

They sit next to each other and Shizuo still can’t bring himself to let go of the leash that makes Izaya’s status even more obvious than his scent. Shizuo’s never eaten with an omega before or really ever paid much attention to other people dining around him, not that he’s ever been to a place where manners mattered, but even so it’s not really much of a shock when the man who takes their orders doesn’t so much as look at Izaya. He doesn’t speak to Izaya, nor does he ask what he wants, only speaking directly to Shizuo.

It’s a bit more surprising when Izaya lets this happen and stays quiet, looking at Shizuo to make the order. Unfortunately, Shizuo can’t portray the ideal amount of control and confidence because he has to turn to ask Izaya what he wants because he sure as hell isn’t going to just guess with the amount of money they’ll be spending for the stupid act.

Izaya doesn’t verbally respond, still playing as the docile omega Shizuo is sure isn’t really him, and simply points to his order. Ootoro. Of course. How could it have been anything else?

But Izaya’s the one who got the money, so what Izaya wants, Izaya can have. He gives the order and the chef laughs.

“Your omega sure has some expensive tastes.” says the Russian sushi chef with a grin.

Shizuo wisely keeps his thoughts to himself. Tell me about it…

When their order arrives Shizuo’s is placed down first on a large plate, followed by Izaya’s on a noticeably smaller plate. Shizuo frowns in confusion at what he’s seeing. He knows omegas are like second class citizens, but he doesn’t understand why omegas would be given smaller portions. Shizuo can’t stand even the thought of not feeding Izaya well enough.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by a little tug on his sleeve. He looks over to Izaya who looks happy enough despite the unfair treatment and points to the food, then his mouth, silently asking for Shizuo to feed him. It’s so cute, especially when his mouth is open like a baby bird, ready to be fed. And hell, how can Shizuo refuse? He’s been in love with feeding Izaya ever since he first got the chance to with Izaya tied to his bed.

* * *

  
There are a lot of misgivings with regards to Shizuo but for once, things went smoothly. Mostly because Shizuo really did stay silent and didn’t screw anything else up.

Of course, if Izaya suggested to Shizuo to use his command ability, things would have gone smoother, but it’d be short-lived before the spell broke and the owner called the cops, and Izaya can already foresee how his honorable S-class alpha would not have liked the idea of ‘cheating.’

Overall, everything went well and now he is being rewarded with some delicious ootoro. Thank the heavens for ootoro. Izaya didn’t even mind the small portion. It didn’t even matter how much he ate since the bill won’t even make a dent in their current budget.

Sure enough, their bill was a total of whopping 120 cubic. Shizuo seems to wince at the bill though since he’s a guy who makes about 80 cubics a day. It doesn’t matter. They have plenty of money and plenty more from the original source. That stupid gown was drizzled with diamond embellishments. Izaya’s just glad that Nebula actually used real diamonds instead of cheap fake ones. Then he really would have been in trouble.

Besides, he likes the coat Shizuo got him. It has a soft lining on the inside and even though the fur is fake, that too is soft. He rubs himself against Shizuo’s arm once they are done eating.

“Can we get outta here?” Shizuo asks with a tug of the leash. Izaya nods again.

They leave the establishment with a generous tip and head out. Izaya sighs softly as he steps outside to the fresh air. Even though the leash and collar are embarrassing and uncomfortable, to say the least, he is so glad for the fresh air outside of that dismal apartment room and that tiny cramped cage. He can’t help but smile in relief despite how tightly Shizuo keeps him close. Around the corner is one of the larger omega play shops, a super store. The automatic door opens as the cool air conditioner breeze caresses their faces.

One of the beta workers greets them at the entrance and Izaya looks around for the first time. He has never been interested in omega stores and has never walked into one. Of course, he had an idea of what they sold, but knowing from a book is different from experience.

First are the rows of collars and leashes. Izaya stops in front of them and tugs at Shizuo’s leash to motion him to pause too. There are all sorts of weird collars, next to the selection of whips. One of them is a posture collar that looks more like it should be used for punishment as it forces the wearer to stretch their neck in one position for a long period of time. There are all sorts of leashes in different shades of leather, and several different shapes of chains as well.

Izaya points at a particular set of collar and leash he likes. The leash is made of soft leather instead of a chain. The collar has a stylish black leather, also soft to the touch. It also has a cute lock and key in the shape of a heart, and a dog tag that can be inscribed.

Shizuo laughs and grabs a basket nearby, then places the one Izaya selected into the basket. They walk down the aisle a bit further to find other items that are considered ‘essential’ for first owners. Such as handcuffs, armcuffs, leg suspenders and bitch suits of various types. There is a black and sleek catsuit that Shizuo glances over, but Izaya shakes his head violently before Shizuo can seriously consider it. There is also a bitch suit that forces the wearer to have their limbs cuffed around the joints and no, Izaya did not want that either. He gets even more nervous as they walk past a particular one that covers the eyes, ears and the mouth with zippers. And of course, the rear area had a nice convenient zipper as well. Somehow, he has a feeling… Shizuo might be interested in that.

Izaya relaxes some as they walk to the animal ears selection...then not so much as it is right next to the animal tails selection with butt plugs. But Shizuo doesn’t seem to be interested in those. Instead, he stops in front of the pacifiers, gags and ring gags. He actually looks through the pacifiers, then turns to the rack behind him and picks up an anxiety sweater which is hung next to the ‘comfort masks’ and chastity cages. He turns it over in his hands and feels the fabric.

Izaya sweats nervously. This is no different from a straightjacket?! Who would fall for such an idiotic thing like an anxiety sweater anyway?!

Looking at Shizuo, this alpha is one of them. He clearly wants one.

Izaya knows he shouldn’t talk in public. Shizuo won’t like that. So he tugs at Shizuo’s sleeve again and shakes his head. They are here for the cage. The cage! He wants a bigger and nicer cage and bedding that’s more comfortable than t-shirts on the floor!

He holds it out to Izaya, wordlessly urging him to feel the soft, thick material that’s designed to make an omega feel as though they’re being held.

Izaya shakes his head violently and stomps his foot, NO.

Finally, Izaya is able to drag Shizuo away from the consumer bait, only to find themselves in front of another row of consumer traps. Perfumes and candles with special scents to ‘relax’ the omegas.

Izaya is sure as hell that these do NOT work. At least it is next to the selection of creams and lubes that looks useful.

Izaya starts picking out the nicely scented lubes which he really wishes he didn’t have to buy but knows he will need later and throws them into Shizuo’s basket. The row eventually leads into the medicine aisle with everything from anal cream in case of injury, all the way down to… suppressants and aphrodisiacs for omegas. There are even specific medications to induce ‘heat’ as well as fake pheromones to give lower ranking omegas to smell as nice as the A-ranks. Or they are supposed to anyway.

Sure enough, his hands itch to steal one of those suppressants very badly. Oh, very badly.

Eventually, he sighs and turns around to see what’s taking Shizuo so long.

Izaya walks back around the corner to find Shizuo looking over the shelves of vitamins specifically made for omegas. Izaya blinks. Why are there even omega vitamins? Omegas are humans just like betas and alphas? Normal human vitamins are perfectly fine? Izaya looks at the price and groans. The price is more than twice the normal vitamins!!! Except, of course, Shizuo picks up and looks at the bottle that describes extra hormones to help promote lactation.

Oh hell no!

Once again, Izaya grabs Shizuo’s arm and this time, drags him near the wall where the cages are displayed.

Finally. Izaya sighs as he touches one of the metal cages. He still doesn’t like the idea of cages. Yes, he knows it is very common to keep omegas caged but seriously. What if there’s a fire? It’s not like he can unlock himself and run out! Still, Shizuo seems to be more concerned about him running away than dying from a fire.

He finds the one Shizuo bought. It’s the smallest priced one. It costs 300 cubics. That is rather expensive. Poor Shizuo had used one-sixth of his salary to buy this pitiful cage.

Izaya walks slowly up and down the aisle. With the amount of money they have, Izaya can buy anything. Well, he can ‘ask’ for anything. It’ll be up to Shizuo to buy it.

Izaya finds one that is long but not tall, almost like a coffin. That makes Izaya shiver, to be stuck like that in that position for hours? Some really sadistic person would buy that one for their omega. Izaya wants the largest one but it won’t fit in Shizuo’s tiny room. So he opts for the one that’s tall enough for him to sit up without banging his head, and long enough to sleep comfortably with his legs curled. It’s the best option.

Shizuo, however, doesn’t seem to agree. Instead, he points at the one cage that’s similar size but the iron bars are more like a tight net. Izaya won’t be able to even slip a finger through. The smaller male frowns at that one and shakes his head.

“Izaya…” Shizuo growls. “This is the best deal for its price.”

Izaya stares at the price and realizes Shizuo is right. But, he really doesn’t like this one at all. It’s also a tiny bit smaller than the one he wants. All those times Izaya’s been making sure his hands and his head are slamming against the small cage to ‘make a point’ each time he moves or stretch have been a waste if he doesn’t get the bigger cage!

So he turns around and faces Shizuo with his best sad puppy look and whispers softly so no one else but Shizuo can hear him, “But Shizu-chan, don’t you… like the idea of me sitting on my knees and bent over… and giving you a morning blow job once in awhile? Don’t alphas like that?”

He watches as his words make Shizuo physically rear back in shock.

“Th-That’s not-!”.

Nice. It’s working. Then he rubs it in more and adds, “I mean, you won’t let me sleep next to you so… how am I going to help you with your morning wood if I can’t reach your-”

Before Izaya can even finish the suggestion of a handjob, one of the clerk walks over, which makes the omega close his mouth shut.

The store clerk greets them and is willing to suggest many different options for the cages since it looks as if the ‘alpha’ is torn in deciding. She is kind enough to unlock the cage door and allows Izaya to crawl inside to test it out. Izaya of course points at the cage he wants and the lady opens the cage for him. It feels… weird to buy one’s own cage, Izaya admits to himself quietly as he walks in and out of a few selections. He finally points at the cage he settled onto Shizuo again.

“That is one of our best sellers.” The store clerk smiles at Shizuo and tries to help him make the decision. She, of course, doesn’t turn to look at Izaya at all.

Shizuo snorts and rolls his eyes at her. Clearly, he doesn’t care much for her sales pitch. Instead, he turns to Izaya. “You really want that one?”

Izaya nods.

“Then we’re getting that one.” The blond grunts. The store lady takes the cage and folds it in a way that would make it easier for transportation. Then Shizuo and Izaya selects the matching bedding, the one that’s made of memory foam. It’s a better bedding than Shizuo’s own bed.

Since it’s a big purchase, along with the collars and leash, one of the other store clerks motions to Shizuo, “Oh, have you checked the back of our store for more selections? I’m sure you’d be very interested. We have some of the newest samples.” And then points at the back of the store where the red neon sign reads ‘Adults Only.’

Izaya can feel his blood drain from his face. His hand feels clammy as he feels a tug on his leash. Shizuo is following the man towards the door. There are plenty of very ‘adult’ toys out in the front, what could actually be inside here? He doesn’t really want to know.

However, Izaya has no choice as he is led inside. He doesn’t like it at all as soon as he walks inside. The room is large. Almost as large as the front of the store. But it's dimly lit to give a ‘mood.’ There’s an eerie rhythmic sound, Izaya can’t quite figure out where it’s coming from due to the music playing from the speakers.

“Here are some of our very best ‘toys’ for your omega.” The man leads him to the rows of dildos and vibrators. Shizuo had bought one of those. Then he must have been to the ‘Adults Only’ section of the store.

“There’s this very popular kit which you can use to make a dildo of yourself, so your omega will play with your size and yours only.” The store clerk even opens the package to show the manual and begins to explain how easy it is to make your own silicone dildo with different vibration settings.

Izaya feels sick as he brings himself closer to Shizuo and leans against him, shivering. He doesn’t like it here at all. Everything in here feels like it’ll be even more painful than all the toys that are displayed at the front of the store, which are already risque enough. There are toys and restraints that have metal bits on them. Some of them have nails. Others look even more like torture devices than for pleasure. The candles here are not the relaxing scented kind. The whips here are made of real leather, painful if it’s actually correctly used. The items here are not ‘toys’, like the weak kind in the front of the store, but genuine articles. Not to mention a real horse’s dick size dildo clearly displayed outside of the box for scale along with a tentacle dildo and a dildo named ‘The Dragon,’ which looks three times bigger than the horse one.

Shizuo had looked interested in what the man was telling him about the dildo kit but as soon as he feels Izaya press into him shivering in fear he turns his attention to Izaya and completely ignores the man.

“I think we’re all right, thanks anyway.” Shizuo waves him away.

“Ah, but you should test out our samples here. You never know if your omega might love it. Of course, we’ll make sure it’s completely safe and cover it with a condom if you decide to use one of our sample displays.”

As the man attempts to talk Shizuo into trying one out, yet another door in the back suddenly opens and Izaya realizes what he’s been hearing.

There are loud moans. Several of them. And sounds of pounding, pounding and pounding.

Izaya flushes hard and shudders as the scent of strong alphas and the sickening scents of omegas in heat flood his nose instantly.

“Ah, we got lucky today. One of our regular customers lent us a high-grade A-rank omega in exchange for some merchandise. If you wish, you are welcome to try the samples on ‘her,’ inside. We have other toilets of course but many of our patrons have been testing out some toys on her and she’s ‘very’ good.” the clerk gives Shizuo a devious wink.

Izaya feels his stomach lurch and he hugs Shizuo’s arm and buries his face. He doesn’t want to hear the sound of fucking that hard. Of other men and women using ‘toilets.’ It only reminds him that ‘that’ toilet could have been him if he had been taken by a terrible alpha. Even if he were to find an A-rank master who could protect Izaya, he could have been sold off as a toilet had he found one hell of a sadistic or perverted one...like how that A-rank omega was turned into a toilet for the day. Or perhaps it happens often. Izaya doesn’t want to know.

Shizuo doesn’t bother responding and instead wraps his arm around Izaya’s head protectively, covering his ears. Instead of voicing his displeasure he bares his teeth and growls, angry pheromones flaring up so strongly that they can be scented over all the other alphas in the back room. The clerk too freezes in shock and is unable to move. Without bothering with any more niceties, he turns and leaves, practically dragging Izaya with him.

Izaya clings to Shizuo for once, seriously scared. Of course, in the back of his head, he knows he should play it up and show Shizuo his weak side, but there is no need to ‘act’ for this one. He is genuinely terrified of becoming a ‘public toilet,’ that happens to many D-rank omegas.

“Don’t worry,” Shizuo whispers into Izaya’s hair, giving it a soft kiss. “None of that’s gonna happen.” He brushes his hair back, trying to soothe his omega.

Izaya still doesn’t relax his grip. Eventually, he feels Shizuo’s strong arm scoop him up and hold him with just one arm. Izaya swings his arms around Shizuo’s neck and continues to hide his face.

“Should we head back or is there one other place you’d like to go?”

Izaya did want to go back. He really did. But there is one other place he wants to go today despite it being a stressful day and Shizuo’s hands are full holding him and the ‘cage’.

“There’s one other place I want to go. The library.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: Hi everyone! I hope you all liked Izaya's plan and the excursion to the omega store! It's a small peek at how 'omegas' are treated in this world~ No wonder Izaya doesn't like his status right now pfff...
> 
> Bad: Their first shopping date! Cute, right? Or not...
> 
> Also huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	9. Chapter 9

He keeps Izaya’s face tucked away until they leave the store for a very good reason. When he purchased their items he was handed an advertisement along with the receipt. An advertisement for a certain omega cosmetic surgery that’s been growing in popularity among wealthy alphas. Castration and Clitoridectomy.

The rationale is that it looks better and is supposed to make omegas more docile. It’s likely a response to the outbursts of omega rebellion that happen now and then. It makes Shizuo sick.

He crumbles the advert in his fist the moment he realizes what it is and quickly glances down to make sure Izaya didn’t see anything. He’s scared enough as it is and Shizuo’s not about to let it get any worse if he can help it. He keeps it hidden in his fist until they pass a trash can so he can throw it away. 

It’s disgusting and Shizuo’s insulted that anyone could even think about handing him that. He’s sure it’s just standard with purchase in these districts but how could anyone look at Izaya and think he’s anything less than physical perfection? He’s gorgeous and no modification could do any better. And he doesn’t  _ want _ to hurt Izaya, that’s insane. Anyone who wants to hurt the one person they should be protecting at all costs should have their ass kicked to the fucking moon.

He’s pissed, but thankfully, he doesn’t think Izaya saw it. 

He steers Izaya back to their apartment on the way to the library to drop off their purchases first so he’s got more arm space to carry all the books Izaya wants and picks up an old plastic shopping bag while they’re there to carry them home in.

“Are you sure you want to keep going today? We can go to the library tomorrow if you don’t feel up to it?” He asks one more time before leaving the apartment again.

“No, I want to go. Please~?” Izaya looks nervous but he looks at him with those adorable pleading puppy eyes that Shizuo is too weak to. 

Izaya reassures him that he’s fine and Shizuo suspects it’s more about not wanting to get in the cage again but for the first time… he feels kind of bad about the cage. It’s for Izaya’s own good, but he can understand why Izaya would get uncomfortable in there for long periods of time. His legs are too long and he’s got too much energy to be caged all day. Shizuo wonders if there’s something he could give Izaya that would help him channel that energy into something during the hours that Shizuo can’t be there, but he just can’t think of anything other than reading or drawing or…

Gardening. Yeah, that’s not a bad idea, Shizuo loves his plants. He’s sure if he gives some to Izaya to look after he’ll love them too. Granted they’re just in pots so there’s not much to do but they make for pleasant company.

They go to the local library. It’s not really big or grand but Shizuo thinks it’s nice, just a little grungy. Besides, if there’s something Izaya  _ really _ wants that they don’t have, they can always request it from another library.

When they get to the library Izaya tugs on the front of Shizuo’s vest to get his attention to whisper into his ear, “Can I… walk by myself?” Lost in his head, Shizuo had forgotten that Izaya might want to walk on his own now altogether. 

He puts Izaya down and unwinds the leash around his hand so he’s holding the end and give Izaya the maximum amount of free walking distance he can. He feels much safer here. It’s familiar territory and all of the people around them are of far lower rank.

Izaya has no problem using the computers to find the books he wants and browses through the library he’s never been to as if he knows every nook and cranny. As if he owns this building. Shizuo blinks and then remembers that Izaya lived as a beta up until recently and had been accepted to study at a university. Libraries must be like his second home.

Izaya’s clearly a brainiac kind of guy so Shizuo supposes that it’s not surprising that Izaya would have been at home in a library when he had his freedom. He follows Izaya though the nonfiction section, idly glancing at some of the books they pass with mild interest. But the sections they’re in are sociology and psychology, not really something Shizuo messes around with. Mostly he just keeps an eye on Izaya and either end of the aisles. Anyone who was browsing in an aisle they enter leaves as fast as they can, fleeing from Shizuo’s pheromones. That suits Shizuo just fine.

Izaya occasionally stops to brush his fingers over the spines of books and picks out a few to flip through so quickly Shizuo can’t even believe he read the title. He passes judgment on the books just as swiftly then hands over whatever he wants to Shizuo before carrying on. Everything he decides is worth taking must be at least five-hundred pages long and Shizuo’s thinking he should’ve brought more bags.

He stops at one particular section, psychology, and the dynamics. This section seems to be of particular interest to him and Shizuo can guess why. He takes advantage of this pause to shift all the books he’s carrying to one arm so he can open one and take a look inside.

Shizuo… can understand some of it. Except the print is so damn small it’s like it all blurs together and some of the words are so long and convoluted they must be made-up. If Shizuo wanted to read this he would need a dictionary and a lot of time to unpack everything. But, Shizuo doesn’t want to read it. So he closes it and turns to the shelves to browse the section they’re in to pass the time. Hopefully, he’ll find a book here that isn’t just filled with non-words. 

“Understanding the Irrational Dynamic.”

“Psychologically Beneficial Discipline.”

“How to Train Your Omega 101.”

“Guide to Being the Best Alpha for Your Omega.”

“Omegas for Dummies: Written by Alphas, for Alphas.”

“Omega and You. How Our Bodies Differ.”

“Raising Your Omega.”

“50 Shades of Pheromones: Understanding Your Omega’s Biology.”

… Not exactly what Shizuo had in mind for keeping Izaya from getting any more scared today. Most of these titles sound like they’d scare anyone, especially someone who wasn’t raised to be a part of this lifestyle. All the experts say that submission is just omega biology and that training is necessary to make them feel secure, but with Izaya… Shizuo’s not so sure.

Well, granted, he doesn’t know what any of this is. Maybe there are a few good tips? He decides to choose some of the least frightening titles. “Guide to Being the Best Alpha for Your Omega” sounds good. That’s what Shizuo wants to do, after all. And… maybe “Omega and You. How Our Bodies Differ” would be good? He doesn't know a lot about biology but maybe he can pick something up from this book? He didn’t know a damn thing other than what his instincts were telling him during Izaya’s heat and he should know better. He decides these are good choices and is about to turn away when…

He glances at “Psychologically Beneficial Discipline” one more time. The term ‘discipline’ sounds so dark and sadistic but… it doesn’t have to be, right? And Izaya does have a tendency to… push boundaries. Maybe he could just take a peek. Besides, it says ‘beneficial’ and it’s not like Shizuo’s going to let a book tell him to hurt Izaya. If it’s a load of shit he can just ignore it. He adds it to his pile.

Over to his right, Izaya is sitting on the floor pouring over books. He’s amassed a sizable stack on either side of him and Shizuo has no idea which pile he wants and which one he doesn’t or if he wants them all. This… is a lot of books. Although, now that he isn’t in school anymore and is with Shizuo, Izaya has a lot of free time. Except now Shizuo’s wondering if there’s a limit to the amount of books he can borrow at a time. He doesn’t think there is but he’s questioning it.

If there is Shizuo will just have to ask if they can make an exception. The librarians like him and give him a little special treatment. He is a regular and always returns on time. There’s one librarian in particular who’s a friend and she’s always got a long list of recommendations for him. And all her selections have been amazingly accurate for his interests.

By now Izaya’s leaned against the bookshelf and appears to be reading a book rather than just browsing. He can do that at home and they should be going if Izaya’s done looking but Shizuo doesn’t want to pull him away. He looks so natural here despite the carpet stains and collar that really don’t suit him.

Shizuo decides that it’s quiet and fairly safe here. There are hardly any people and everyone here has already made a wide radius around them and Shizuo has nothing else to do. So he sits next to Izaya and opens “Psychologically Beneficial Discipline.” If it’s crap, better to find out now and save him the hassle of bringing to home and potentially freaking Izaya out for no reason, right? He opens it to a random page and-

“What are you reading? “ Izaya asks as soon as Shizuo sits next to him. However, he doesn’t look up from his own reading.

Shizuo wasn’t expecting Izaya to notice anything he was doing. He certainly did not prepare to answer this question.

“Ah, nothing really, just something random. I… don’t really know what it’s like yet, I haven’t started it. Can’t judge it by the cover, y’know?” Shizuo says a little too quickly. He’s always been absolute shit at hiding things. The only thing he’s ever been able to hide is his rank and how he’s gotten away with that is unbelievable as it is.

“Title? Who wrote it?”

Shizuo’s hands break out into a cold sweat as he flips back to the cover because he genuinely doesn’t know who wrote it. He never pays attention to that. The author isn’t making him as nervous as the title.

“It’s, um… it’s just written by some Alpha lady. Same as all of ‘em.”

Izaya scoffs. “Of course it’s written by an alpha. They all are.” He leans towards Shizuo, and flips the book to the back, not caring about the title. He reads the small biography of the author and rolls his eyes. He then goes back to his own reading except this time he leans on Shizuo’s back for comfort. It feels so nice and warm and Shizuo would love to relax if he wasn’t so much heavier than Izaya.

Shizuo lets out a breath of relief with the comfort of contact and when Izaya doesn’t even glance at the title and goes straight to the author. He’s probably judging the authority of the woman who wrote it and based on his reaction Shizuo should probably forget about reading it. Except now he can’t, he’s in too deep. Even if it’s just one sentence, he’s already committed to at least looking inside. This time he opens to the table of contents and reads a few of the chapter titles.

Chapter One: Authoritative vs Authoritarian. Know Which One You Are. 

Chapter Four: Why Won’t My Omega Come When I Call Them?

Chapter Fifteen: Crops, Whips, and Kisses - When to Use Them and How to Use Them.

Okay, okay, it doesn’t all sound insane. Except chapter fifteen. Shizuo can probably skip that chapter. He adds this book to the ‘take home’ pile and looks over Izaya’s shoulder.

“What are you reading?”

Izaya looks up with a mysterious twinkle in his eyes. 

“How to Dominate Your Omega.”

Shizuo almost chokes on his own spit. So much for trying to hide his book to keep from scaring Izaya.

“What? Why?!”

“Well, there are no books written by omegas for omegas in this library. Probably none are published, I take it. So the only way to truly find out what alphas think… is to read their worst books.” Izaya shrugs. “Besides, this one is pretty bold. Some of the suggestions might actually work. On the right omega.”

Shizuo leans in closer and even though he’s still scandalized, he’s very curious.

“Yeah, I don’t think people publish omegas… What suggestions are in there?”

“None I’d ever breathe the word of.” Izaya rolls his eyes and closes that book before Shizuo can read even one word of it. He then picks up another book from the pile and opens it. Shizuo is able to read the title and it says, “Theories on Psychosis of Omega in Heat.”

Shizuo doesn’t know what psychosis means but he’s very interested in understanding Izaya’s heat.

“What’s that one?”

“Another raving of a madman about something in which he knows nothing about but chooses to write 700 pages on it and somehow got it published. Maybe I’ll find a sentence or two that’s worth my time.” Izaya pours into the book again, flipping through the pages so fast, Shizuo isn’t sure if he’s truly reading. But he must be, right?

“Right,” Shizuo sighs. Suddenly he feels so tired. The library’s never exhausted him like this before. It must be this section, it’s all very overwhelming.

“Hey, let’s go home? You can read all you want there and we can come back another day.”

“....Alright.” Izaya seems to reluctantly close the book. Then he looks around. “How many am I allowed to take?”

“I really don’t know, I’ve never borrowed this many. How many do you think the two of us can fit in our arms?”

“....As many as I’m allowed to take home?” Izaya’s voice squeaks into a higher pitch at the end with some hope.

Shizuo chuckles affectionately and gets the sudden urge to ruffle Izaya’s hair. He hasn’t touched Izaya without permission since he rescued him and on one hand he wants to make sure Izaya feels very safe, but on the other hand, this isn’t a scary touch. It’s friendly, it should be okay. Besides, Shizuo and his omega shouldn’t be afraid to touch each other.

So, he ruffles Izaya’s hair, making a big mess of the soft, black strands.

“Of course, we’re going to take as many as we can carry. And the librarians here like me, even if we’re a few over the limit I’m sure they can make an exception. Just start handing me what you want and we’ll see how many we can get.”

Izaya silently takes the gentle ruffling like a camaraderie between school boys. But once Shizuo removes his hand, he looks up, “Alright. Then how many can you carry?”

Shizuo lets Izaya pile books into his arms and it’s not the weight that will be a problem, it’s the amount of space he’s got in his arms. And as it turns out, that’s a lot of really big books. He carries them to the front of the library with the leash around his wrist and places them on the front desk. There’s no amount of carefulness in the world that would keep them from hitting the desk with a thunk.

The blonde librarian looks up and Shizuo can hardly see her sitting behind the stack.

“A new interest?” She asks, raising her eyebrows at the titles. She must not see Izaya, who’s standing half-behind Shizuo and hidden by the pile of books.

“Uh, I guess you could say that.” Shizuo runs his fingers through his hair, suddenly nervous. Vorona’s also an alpha, but he knows nothing about her thoughts on omegas.

However, Vorona doesn’t seem to judge him as she scans each and every one of the books. She works through them methodically and only pauses when Shizuo glances down to his side at Izaya to see how he’s doing. Now, she stands to look over the pile to see what Shizuo is looking at. She sees the small man with a collar tethered to Shizuo’s leash. She doesn’t have to ask to understand the nature of their relationship.

“I thought you smelled different. Did not want to be rude by pointing it out.” She says.

“Ah, yeah, I just… he’s a rescue.” Shizuo responds a bit awkwardly, but he’s quickly relaxing into the conversation. Vorona’s always good to talk to. Smart and level-headed.

“He is in good care now,” Vorona says decisively and goes back to checking out the books. “I was unaware you had an interest in omegas.”

“I didn’t really…” He wraps the leash around his hand again a few times self-consciously as a soft, private smile creeps its way up to his face. “But one day it suddenly just hit me and he was the one, y’know?”

“Love is a chemical response,” Vorona says with absolutely no grace or sensitivity to the subject as she scans another book. Shizuo’s face explodes with color. He never said anything about love. “It is an indicator you have potential for viable offspring.”

“I- I don’t think I’d go that far!” Shizuo says quickly. Sure, he’s  _ thought _ about love and kids but he hasn’t known Izaya for that long. “We haven’t- I’ve just been taking care of him.”

Vorona nods in understanding, although Shizuo isn’t convinced she understands at all. “It is true you’ve never liked one-night stands, although you have had many.”

_ “Vorona.” _ Shizuo hisses. She doesn’t laugh, but she has that twinkle in her eye that means she’s laughing.

She pauses with two more books left on the table.

“Our limit is thirty, but you are a good patron. You are always on time.” She scans them regardless of the limit and reaches under the desk to get them a cloth, reusable bag. “Take this. You will need it.” 

“Thank you,” Shizuo says, relieved she isn’t laying into him about some of the men and women he’s slept with. It’s not a crazy amount or anything, but she knows about it because everyone he sleeps with gets… really weird about it. Even if they just met up at the bar. So sometimes he’ll vent to her about it a little. Izaya remains quiet as he watches the two of them go back and forth. Surely he’s quietly tucking in the information into his little head. But he says nothing while studying the blonde, alpha librarian.

They load up all the books they can fit into the cloth bag and Shizuo’s plastic one and carry the last few. He thanks Vorona again for letting him take this many and for all her help and heads for the door.

* * *

They stop back at their apartment one more time to drop the books off. Shizuo places them on the kitchen table with another thunk and is about to bring Izaya back into their room to set up the cage when he remembers something very important. He can hardly believe he almost forgot. It’s what started this whole thing.

“Groceries.” He sighs. He really doesn’t feel like it, but Izaya needs food so there’s no choice. He can’t just think about himself anymore. If he’s feeling overwhelmed, Izaya must be exhausted. This is all so much and so new for him.

“Do you want to just make me a list and stay home to relax or do you want to come?”

“Can I come with you? I can cook… it’d be nice if I can select the ingredients myself with you, you know?”  Again Izaya peers up through his long lashes with his hands behind his back.

“Yeah,” Shizuo agrees easily. “You don’t have to bring out the eyes for everything, I gave you the option for a reason.” He teases. Although he is genuinely weak for them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He frowns and pouts cutely. But then quickly changes his subject, “Let’s only take some money with us. And maybe hide the rest?”

“That’s a good idea.” He pulls the wad of cash out of his pocket and starts separating out a few bills. At first, he was just looking to take his normal budget… But he’ll probably need more. It’s okay though, they have more. He’s not sure how much so he takes a little more than double the usual amount he spends. No sense in blowing it all in a few days, after all.

He searches for a place to hide the rest.

“Not under the bed. That’s where the burglars look first. Here.” Izaya takes the money and goes to the kitchen. He hides it underneath the plates on the highest shelf, climbing on top of the stove. 

Then he hides the other half inside a cup in the drawer under the bathroom sink, next to the toilet cleaner.

Ah, that’s not bad. Shizuo was just going to hide it in some spare flower pots that he keeps on top of his cabinets.

It’s very unlikely he’ll be robbed, his pheromones usually keep people far, far away and someone would have to be crazy to break into a place when their instincts are screaming at them to run before they even get close. But better be safe than sorry.

“How’s the collar?” Shizuo asks, stepping closer to examine it for chafing. It’s still the used one, after all. He doesn’t think he put it on too tight but it could still be hurting him.

“I-itchy…” He touches it again and then pauses, forcing himself to move his hand away. “It’s fine,” he corrects himself as if he didn’t mean to complain instead of being grateful.

It sounds like an innocent slip of the tongue. A mistake any reserved person could make. Except Shizuo isn’t so sure it’s… totally authentic.

Well, he believes the part about it being itchy is real, and they can fix that.

“Got it. Let’s get out the new one.”

“New one would be nice right? It’ll just have my scent and mine only?” Izaya smiles and fake or not, it melts Shizuo’s heart.

It’s a flexible, black leather with a silver hoop for the leash and a bell with a soft, thick fur lining on the inside. A huge step up in terms of comfort, no doubt. There’s no engraved tag or anything yet, but that’s not all that important. It looks nice and the tiny silver bell on the front the makes the cutest, little tinkling sound. Shizuo would be happy to have Izaya wear it.

He holds it up in front of Izaya, picturing how it might look on him and how pretty he’ll look in a collar that’s his. Just for him and Shizuo. Nothing that holds the pheromones and sweat of some past omega.

“...Take the old one off.” Shizuo instructs quietly. Normally he never gives Izaya orders but this… this feels like an order. He wants to watch Izaya cast off the old collar and bare his unclaimed throat for this one. For Shizuo.

Izaya slowly raises his hands in obedience. His slim fingers touch the front of the collar and calmly move their way up, following the curve of the leather and then to the back. It’s a cheap collar with no lock. Just a simple button, easily taken off. But the way Izaya’s eyelids lower demurely, the way the fingers seductively caress the rim, Shizuo can’t take his feral eyes off of him. 

There’s a soft sound of a snap as the button is loosened and the collar is in Izaya’s hands. A red, offensive imprint is there around the otherwise white, unmarked neckline that’s just begging for a bite. It takes several staggering breaths for Shizuo to not lunge and mark him here and now as Izaya stood there, waiting, his eyes wide like a doe’s. 

“Drop it.” Shizuo commands, feeling hunger and dominance boil up inside him in a blend that’s so foreign.

The sound of the clink from the collar hitting the floor is so loud in the quiet room. Izaya shifts his balance to one leg and his eyes flicker from the floor to Shizuo’s. Waiting. As if Izaya’s testing him to see if he’ll give into the temptation his pure unmarked neck is offering.

If Izaya wants an alpha, Shizuo can be an alpha. He walks over and reaches out to fit his hand into the curve of Izaya’s neck, touching the supple skin there. The temptation is real as he feels the young omega shiver at the contact. He walks around behind Izaya slowly, carefully watching him and tasting the air for even the most subtle changes. Anything that might not be submission. His hand follows the curve of Izaya’s neck as he walks, smoothing over the skin and that red mark from the other collar. It’ll fade soon enough, but that doesn’t mean Shizuo likes it when he sees it. The possessive animal inside him comes out in the form of a low growl but doesn’t get out any further than that.

From behind Izaya, he slips the collar around his neck over the red mark like he’s draping an expensive diamond necklace over the love of his life, except this collar is more than a gift.

He tightens the collar around Izaya so it’s tight, but checks to see if it’s too tight by measuring with his fingers between the fur lining of the collar and the skin. He doesn’t ask Izaya how it feels before he’s brushing his hair away from the nape of his neck and clicking the heart-shaped lock in the back shut.

He removes the key from the lock, which came so conveniently on the end of a silver chain, and hangs it around his own neck before tucking it into his shirt so the cold metal can press against his too-hot, too-tight chest.

Shizuo knows he should step away now. Izaya just wanted this one because it’s softer and they need to go buy food. Except it feels like more than that and Shizuo doesn’t want to step away from how he’s feeling just yet. He places his hands on Izaya’s shoulders and leans in, basking in the scent of  _ his _ omega.

Izaya too leans back, breathing deeply into Shizuo’s scent, relaxing. It feels personal. Private. Intimate.

How can they step away now? How could Shizuo bring himself to take Izaya out of their home and into the world when privacy feels this good. He tucks his face in behind Izaya’s ear, breathing deeply and practically purring with satisfaction. It feels so right, he knew Izaya was the one for him the moment he saw him and he was right.

“Mmm… so. How many men and women did you sleep with again for one-night stands? Was that librarian one of them?” Izaya breaks the magical moment as he peers up at Shizuo with mirth twinkling behind his eyes.

Shizuo freezes mid breath. Of course, that had to come up.  _ Thanks a lot, Vorona _ . He pulls away from Izaya reluctantly with a groan when all he wants to do is pull him into a hug and cover his neck in kiss marks.

“Vorona made it sound like a lot more than it was,” Shizuo promises. “I’ve only slept with six people before. Four women and two men. None of them were her.” Izaya does have a right to know, even if he doesn’t feel like talking about it.

“Heh…. any of them omega? The way she made it sound, you never were interested in omegas before.” Izaya turns around now to look at him fully. His eyes continue to mock him with that playful twinkle.

“Nah, you gotta pay for omegas. Any D-ranks that just ‘wander’ into bars have pimps right around the corner. And they’re always either drugged or wishing someone would drug them. Not exactly interested in that.”

“....Right.” Now Izaya seems to have lost interest in the conversation. He steps away from Shizuo’s embrace, much to his dismay. He was warm. 

Izaya turns around and gives him one of those too-bright smiles. “Now then. I’m a fairly competent cook. What do you like to eat?”

* * *

“What would you like to eat?” he asks, leaning close and whispering. They arrive at the grocery store and it’s bustling with people, some madly dashing after the latest sale items. Shizuo is glad that Izaya knows he shouldn’t talk in public and only speaks when no one is nearby and necessary. This way Shizuo doesn’t have to be the one to remind him he’s a second-class citizen in public.

“Anything really, but I mostly like sweet things.”

Izaya hops over from one type of vegetable to the next, picking each one only after it passes his thorough inspection. Shizuo never really buys fresh products because it’s much cheaper to buy large bags of mixed frozen vegetables and they’re just as good. But whatever Izaya wants... 

He scurries over to the meat section after the vegetables, pushing the cart and maneuvering around the other people in the store with Shizuo closely in tow. There’s one alpha who looks over at Izaya alarmed by what appears to be a collared omega by himself sorting through various cuts of chicken. Then the alpha turns around to notice Shizuo scowling at him and inches himself away from Izaya. The alpha does continue to take peeks over at Izaya’s face and the collar with a certain hunger in his eyes that Shizuo hates. Izaya stands out even with the hoodie. It’s the way he moves, the way his hips sway, his energy and confidence as he makes his way around the grocery store with his slender form and it’s too attractive. Some people believe omegas should always be completely submissive and meek, but some like to tame those who might resist a little. Not to mention, Izaya’s smile is extraordinary. It’s charming and it draws people in. 

Perhaps Izaya’s too happy about his freedom because while the omega is choosing his ingredients, he’s smiling too much. It’s obvious some of the leering, unmated alphas around Izaya want to take him home and devour him. Shizuo can just imagine in his growing fury how they probably want to try and make this omega moan and force that smile to disappear and reduce him to a fucking mess and keep him for themselves forever. Didn’t Shizuo tell him not to smile too much in public?!

Shizuo pulls Izaya to his side with a rough tug on his arm and growls in his ear softly, “Don’t smile so much. You’re attracting too much attention.”

Izaya looks up startled from being suddenly jerked around and reprimanded. Then he pouts but doesn’t reply. Instead, he slows down, trying to obey by keeping close to Shizuo and keeping a neutral face. He wishes he could have let Izaya bounce around the store smiling and laughing as much as he wants, but the more people that look at Izaya, the more danger he’s in. Even without the bounty on him. More people looking at Izaya means more people who will want to take him from Shizuo. And that means more people Shizuo will have to hurt.

The reasons for locking Izaya away and claiming him as his mate as soon as possible just keep piling up, but Shizuo pushes those thoughts away.

By the time Shizuo gets home, he’s more exhausted than he would be having seven shifts in a row, having to break up a bar fight,  _ and _ without a break. 

* * *

When they get home Shizuo lets Izaya stay out of his cage for two reasons. One, the new cage isn’t built yet. Two, Izaya has been talking about making ‘real food’ nonstop. Making him get in the old cage when he wants to cook would feel needlessly cruel, especially after the day they’ve had.

So he leaves Izaya alone in the kitchen while he builds the new cage. Granted, the kitchen isn’t more than a few steps away and he can look directly into it, but he still catches himself glancing up anxiously from where he’s sitting to check that Izaya is still there.

He seems happier than he’s been in days, happily humming and swaying while he chops vegetables and cooks what smells like fish and occasionally reaches up to pluck something from the simple herbs Shizuo has growing on the window nearby that he told Izaya he was welcome to use. And he’s still wearing the collar. He didn’t even look like he wanted to ask Shizuo to take it off.

It looks like everything Shizuo didn’t know he was dreaming of.

The cage isn’t any harder to put together than the last one. Shizuo may be dumb and can get frustrated easily but even he can manage to build one of these. It’s just a box and he has it together in just a few minutes.

Once it’s up he rolls out the little mattress pad inside of it and it all smells new. Fresh from the factory scent and Shizuo just can’t resist crawling halfway inside to rub his face and neck all over the little futon to cover it in his scent. He doesn’t need to read a book to know that omegas sleep better with the scent of their alpha and there’s no doubt that Shizuo is Izaya’s alpha.

“Dinner’s almost f-... oh. You’re done with the cage?” Izaya peeks out from the entry way. He tilts his head and frowns just slightly in disapproval before looking back at Shizuo to add, “can I… keep one of your shirts in the cage?”

Shizuo nods and backs out of the cage sheepishly. He didn’t mean for Izaya to see him invading his safe space so deeply. The scent is one thing, seeing it is another.

“Yeah, I’m almost done. I was just gonna move the stuff from your old cage to this one and uh, take that one down.”

He pulls everything from the old cage and stuffs it into the new one and starts to arrange it before stopping himself because Izaya probably wants to do it himself. He’s not really the type to sleep with a lot of things but for some reason since Izaya got here, he’s been very interested in the idea of nesting. Which is a little strange because alphas don’t nest. 

Just in time, because Izaya had set the table and was awkwardly carrying the small foldable table filled with food bowls from the kitchen to the living space.  Izaya carefully puts it down and smiles as he sits on one side on the floor. “Let’s eat! I hope you like it.”

Shizuo was not expecting Izaya to bring the food to him. He had assumed they were eating out there but he supposes there’s no reason to comment on it.

The smell of the food is better than anything that’s ever come out of his kitchen before. It’s not that Shizuo can’t make food so much as he normally doesn’t have food. Nothing so fresh and well-planned, anyway.

Home made miso soup with rice and lightly grilled mackerel. Nothing extravagant but it is homey and more food in one meal that Shizuo’s had in a long time. Izaya even made it look nice on the plate with a sprinkle of chives on the fish from Shizuo’s plants. 

“It looks great!” Shizuo praises and starts piling soup into a bowl to place in front of Izaya along with a large helping of fish before serving himself.

He starts eating the moment he has his own portion, slurping the hot soup before it even has a chance to properly cool. He eats some fish, which is just as delicious as the soup, before pausing with the chopsticks halfway up to his mouth with a frown.

“Does it taste good?” Izaya asks. He hasn’t even touched his own food yet.

“Yeah, it’s great. Are you not eating?”

Izaya smiles that tiny little helpless smile and shrugs. “You should be feeding me.” 

Shizuo flushes and puts down his chopsticks. Shizuo knows Izaya is anything but helpless but when he smiles like that, all meek and a little hurt, he can’t help but fall for him all over again. Is this a thing now for them? He supposes so. 

“O-Oh. Okay.”

He shifts over to Izaya’s side of the table and picks up his portion of fish and chopsticks. The tender fish falls apart as soon as Shizuo touches his chopsticks to it and he picks up a big bite to hold out for Izaya.

Izaya leans forward, moving even closer to Shizuo. His mouth parts open to take a bite and Shizuo watches the way those sensual lips take in his morsel. Shizuo breathes heavily and swallows hard as he watches his omega eat off of him, chew slowly and swallow. Then he smiles, “It is delicious! More please?” 

Shizuo nods because he can’t trust himself to speak and gets an even bigger bite for Izaya this time. He wants to stuff his little cheeks and spoil him and make him happy. If Izaya decided that for some reason his portion wasn’t good enough and demanded that Shizuo gives him his, Shizuo thinks he would give it to him and go hungry.

“Mmmm….” Izaya moans as he takes his bite and it goes straight to Shizuo’s groin. It should be odd to be getting aroused from watching someone eat. Shizuo does not normally have this problem. But since it’s Izaya, it really doesn’t feel that weird. Everything about Izaya is strangely, powerfully alluring.

Shizuo puts down the fish, for now, to pick up the soup instead and holds it out to Izaya, his own appetite forgotten. Izaya places his hands on top of Shizuo’s thighs and leans forward like an overly eager puppy. Shizuo’s particularly careful with the soup. It’s cooled more since he ate it but he gently blows on it before very slowly guiding Izaya to drink it. He thinks he might enjoy watching Izaya swallow too much. Especially the way his throat bobs under the collar.

They finish dinner like that and eventually Shizuo starts to eat his own food too, although it had gone a bit cold it still tasted great. Izaya did not ask for his once Shizuo had finished feeding him all of his portion. It’s a sort of domestic peace Shizuo’s no longer familiar with. He’s been all alone for so long and he’s been okay, but this is happiness. Right now, Shizuo is the happiest he’s been since his brother left and he wants it to last forever.

When they finish eating and Shizuo finally gives up on trying to convince Izaya to have another helping he thinks back to all the things Izaya said he wanted before Shizuo had sold the suppressants. Food and… TV? Shizuo doesn’t have that. What else did he want?

That’s right. Hugs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad everyone's liking it so far!
> 
> Bad: Finally Izaya's a little closer to the lifestyle he's been wanting! But what's his next step? You'll never know as long as it's all Shizuo's pov lol
> 
> Also huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	10. Chapter 10

 

Izaya starts doing the dishes like the good housekeeping omega image he wishes to present to Shizuo so he can get out of the cage more often. He’s been quiet like a good omega, speaking only when necessary, seen and not heard, yada-yada, everything an alpha would ever want in a ‘perfect’ omega.

He normally hates doing chores like cleaning and doing dishes. He always made his younger sisters do them.

After he cleans everything, which he does slowly, he realizes there’s really nothing left to do anymore. He sighs in the kitchen. Guess he’ll have to crawl back to his cage...at least it’s much larger?

Izaya comes out of the kitchen and pauses when he sees Shizuo sitting on the bed and waiting expectantly.

Did he...forget something? Was Shizuo angry at him for something he missed? Did he smile too much or talk too much while out in public? Panic slowly rises from Izaya’s heart and he swallows a bit nervously. He still doesn’t feel completely confident about his ‘control’ over this alpha. It’s still a working project. Until then, Izaya knows that he is still Shizuo’s prisoner.

“What is it, Shizu-chan?” Izaya smiles brightly. He knows now Shizuo likes it when he smiles to him...albeit in private.

“Come here,” Shizuo says. It’s a much softer command than it was when he told Izaya to take off the old collar, but it’s a command all the same. It just happens to be accompanied with outstretched arms.

Izaya takes in a deep breath and carefully walks forward, remembering to tilt his head slightly like a cute bunny or a small frightened animal. Still, he obeys. He has obeyed all of Shizuo’s commands, ridiculous or small. And he will obey this one too. For now.

He takes small steps forward until he reaches the range of Shizuo’s outstretched arms and waits.

The blond alpha wraps his arms around Izaya’s hips and pulls him closer, trapping his arms down by his sides. Shizuo hugs him tightly with his face pressed into Izaya’s chest.

“You wanted….hugs, right?” Shizuo speaks into Izaya’s torso and Izaya then remembers the small bait that he had planted in the alpha’s mind. He hadn’t planned to trigger it until later tonight but right now is just as good. Shizuo seems calmer after all. _‘And it should help build more trust and affection’_ , Izaya calculates in his head quietly.

He nods and leans forward, pressing himself more toward Shizuo. Then he bends to softly whisper into Shizuo’s ear, “can you… hold me in your bed?”

Izaya watches Shizuo fall apart in stages. At first, his face flushes bright red. Then he hesitates for reasons unknown to Izaya. Finally, he nods with some sort of resolution and the blond picks him up as if he’s gently carrying a fragile baby lamb and carries him to bed. The alpha lowers him down and carefully wraps his arms around Izaya and pulls him close, his chin on top of Izaya’s head, securely hugging him close.

Izaya closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The scent of Shizuo is so strong right now. It’s … dizzying. He must be feeling possessive and overprotective, releasing more of his pheromones than before. It’s like a sedative drug. It helps Izaya actually relax, his muscles unlocking from the previous anxiety. Izaya had always thought that all that mumbo jumbo about relaxing pheromones from alpha to omega was nonsense but he is experiencing the real deal right now. He thought it would be a good way to trap Shizuo into thinking he’s building trust and affection but instead Izaya has fallen into his own setup.

Still, it is relaxing. It’s actually working. Maybe those stupid scented candles had a legit reason for their creation. And it truly… feels really good. This was just a plan to gain more affection from Shizuo daily but strangely it’s affecting Izaya in his mind as well. He feels safe, protected and calm. He normally doesn’t care for hugs, he rarely hugs his friends or family. He doesn’t even recall any time he might have hugged his longest and closest friend Kadota… but right now, Izaya doesn’t feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, he feels like he wouldn’t mind staying in this man’s arms forever.

He can feel himself drifting away, feeling safer than being inside that dumb cage. His legs are able to stretch. His back is enjoying the feeling of the mattress under him. And the scent of a strong, protective alpha overwhelms his senses. Before long, Izaya falls asleep.

* * *

“Nnngh…” Izaya stirs eventually when he thinks he hears the sound of rustling. He opens his eyes to notice that he’s in his larger cage with proper bedding, a blanket, and Shizuo’s shirt. At least two of his books are inside the cage while the others are within his arm’s reach outside of his cage.

“S-Shizu-chan?” Izaya perks up and looks around, or tries to within the range of his view.

“Ah, did I wake you? Sorry… I need to head to work.”

“That’s okay but…” Izaya turns to face the direction where he hears Shizuo’s voice. Due to the pile of books around him, his view is blocked. Not to mention it’s dark in the room now.

“I want my goodnight kiss?” Izaya raises his voice on the last word nervously on purpose, making it sound like he didn’t want to inconvenience him. Of course, he isn’t inconveniencing the dumb fool of an alpha, but he needs all the help he can get to make this guy completely infatuated.

“O-of course! I… I won’t leave until I give you one.” There’s a hurried sound of ruffling as if Shizuo’s getting dressed faster to give that kiss. Izaya waits with a cryptic smile on his lips.

Finally, Shizuo pushes some stacks of books out of the way to reveal himself. His cheeks are slightly flushed as he presses his lips toward the iron cage.

Why he doesn’t bother opening the cage doors to give him a proper kiss is beyond Izaya.

Still, Izaya makes Shizuo kiss only his forehead. Shizuo always looks as if he wants more but is also very happy that his omega wants his touches. Izaya forces himself not to roll his eyes at the obvious eagerness this alpha displays so openly.

“Good night and good luck at work.” Izaya pipes and waves at Shizuo before promptly putting his head on the small pillow, pretending to fall asleep immediately.

He listens quietly as Shizuo sheepishly gets up and leaves. He waits a good half an hour after that to make sure Shizuo isn’t in the vicinity.

Then he realizes in absolute horror his fatal mistake.

Shizuo left without any lights on.

He couldn’t read at all!!

Izaya groans in anger as he flops around his bed. Now he really did have to sleep until morning…

Next time, he’s going to demand Shizuo to light one of those stupid scented candles, maybe lie and say that he needs one for his anxiety.

* * *

Izaya rolls around in his new memory foam mattress, trying to find a comfortable spot while reading a thick book on, “Mind over Matter: Omega and their Heat.” It is completely filled with unnecessary ramblings about theories that clearly have no substance. The author is an alpha. He has never had an omega body. How the HELL does he know if an omega can get over their body in heat with strong will?! And the author’s final conclusion is that the reason why omegas can’t overcome their heat is clearly due to their genetic lack of strong will? Oh really now?! Why doesn’t _HE_ have dumbass ovaries screaming at him to mate and an anus that’s itching for a fuck twenty-four seven once a month, huh?!

Izaya curses to himself as he wishes he could argue with all these authors. But he can’t. He’s an omega in a cage. Izaya throws that book away and grabs his 5th reading for the morning.

Izaya is about to flip through the next book but pauses. It’s almost time for Shizuo to come back. Shizuo might not like too-smart omegas. It won’t look good if it looks like Izaya studied all morning, right?

He sighs as he closes the book and pushes that out of his cage so he has more space. He does have more space. More than before. But he is used to having his own bed, his own room, his own house… this is frustrating. He lived like a beta. A smart, clever and spoiled beta. It’s still hard to get used to living like the docile omega that he was apparently born to be.

Still, he should be happy with Shizuo. He could have had a worse alpha right?

 _Wrong,_ Izaya’s logical mind tells him. _There can be no better alpha than no alpha at all in your life._ If Izaya had gotten tested earlier as a child and known he is an omega… and somehow hidden it and lived as a beta… avoided his ‘heat’ period…

If only, if only, if only.

There’s a lot of regrets and even more ‘if only’s’ in Izaya’s mind. There are stories about famous omegas who had kept their rank and status hidden from society. There aren’t many in history but that’s because history can only count the ones that got ‘caught’ in the end. Izaya’s sure that there’s been more than those books say.

Izaya’s fingers touch the collar around his neck absentmindedly again. It’s soft. The fur lining inside makes sure it doesn’t itch or leave any red prints unless the alpha locks it too tightly but Shizuo didn’t. It feels too tight whenever Izaya swallows something but otherwise, it’s snug.

 _Like a chastity belt_ , Izaya thinks to himself as he remembers Shizuo’s feral eyes that bore at him yesterday. Like a hungry beast. His pheromones were off the charts and the air vibrated with Shizuo’s scent. He can still smell him, feel the way his fingers touched his skin and burned him with an invisible brand. He shivers as he remembers the way Shizuo leaned forward and smelled him. Drinking his scent deeply, the neck bared before him virgin and new. Unbitten.

The temptation was real for Izaya as much as it must have been for Shizuo. For the first time when he wasn’t in heat, Izaya wanted it. He wanted to be marked and bitten. He wanted to feel the sinking in of those white, sharp teeth breaking his skin, sinking further into debauchery. He wanted those possessive hands to bend his will, to wrap around his hips and dip under his pants to feel his hip bones… and down further. To caress him into arousal while forcing him into submission. He had never wanted to be molested and violated before he became drunk with that overpowering pheromone. It was his first time wanting an alpha while not in heat, just from the intoxication of those pheromones alone.

Izaya shivers again as he remembers. That’s why he had to cut off such a dangerous moment of weakness. And why he taunted Shizuo to break the spell.

 _Thank you Vorona_ , Izaya thinks to himself wryly.

Now he groans as he turns to his side and freezes. He feels it. Something hard pressing against him. And he looks down in shock to notice his boner.

“...” Izaya swallows hard. He… he’s never had a boner thinking about another man while not in heat. But there’s no mistaking it. He had a raging boner and his body is heavily aroused.

Oh, no, no, no. It must be from the residual effects of the pheromones. He can’t SERIOUSLY be turned on by that dumb alpha! No fucking way!

But the worst part isn’t the fact that Izaya might just maaaybe attracted to his alpha. It’s the fact that-

“I’m home.”

Izaya’s heart freezes and his mind screams in panic. Oh god no. _He’ll know_. Instantly. Izaya’s scent is different right now. H-he’s going to find out that he’s heavily aroused!!!

 _Don’t, panic. Don’t panic, Izaya_. Izaya tells himself again and again as he quickly pretends to sleep, holding onto the idiot’s shirt as if it’s a security blanket that actually can protect him. Nothing is going to save him now but pretending to be asleep while having a raging boner.

… please don’t let Shizuo rape him in his ‘ _sleep._ ’

Izaya mumbles softly as if he’s dreaming and keeps his eyes closed. He also holds the shirt close, as if it’s the scent of the alpha still emitting from the shirt which is the cause of his arousal. It could make sense right? Maybe?

 _Please be stupid and buy this bullshit,_ Izaya prays.

Izaya hears the hesitant creak of the wooden floor as Shizuo walks into the room carefully, like he’s being cautious and Izaya and hears him sniffing the air.

“Izaya?” He says softly.

When Izaya doesn’t respond he hears Shizuo’s footsteps draw closer so he can look inside the cage and hears his breath hitch. But to Izaya’s great relief, the alpha doesn’t touch the cage or say anything else. He steps away and starts unbuttoning his work clothes to change into something more comfortable.

Instead of Shizuo trying to wake him up again, Izaya hears the sound of the mattress sinking in… and… the sound of pages flipping.

He’s… reading? At a time like this?!!

Izaya thanks the heavens that he landed with a really dumb alpha. But the crisis isn’t completely avoided. Izaya listens to the sound of the flipping of papers as he tries to will his boner to go away while keeping even breaths as if he’s fast asleep.

He hears Shizuo grumble to himself, “no that’s stupid,” and “maybe this? No, no.”  

He is looking for what he should do from the advice and guide books from the library. Izaya’s heart starts to pound with renewed panic. Oh no. Please don’t let him find advice that’s completely harmful...

Then he’s strangely quiet for a while and Izaya can’t even hear the pages flipping. He must have landed on a possible ‘solution’ he likes.

Finally, Shizuo closes the book, gets up, crosses the room and stops in front of Izaya’s cage… before continuing on and leaving the room to the bathroom.

Izaya sighs in relief until he hears the unmistakable sound of ‘ _fapping_.’

There’s no way of hiding that sound in the small apartment. The sound of the lube slipping through the fingers, the small sounds of grunts and oh god the scent. The overpowering scent of Alpha’s pheromone.

Izaya can’t handle it anymore. It’s as if he is in heat again. His body flushes hard. A wet bead of precum squirts out and dampens his underpants. He moans softly, unable to hold back. He starts thrusting his hips for some friction. Anything… any relief.

Then there’s a low growl and the sound of fapping stops abruptly. However, the strong scent of cum is in the air along with the alpha’s sweat. That makes Izaya’s mind go crazy. He doesn’t even understand why his throat is suddenly parched!

As if that’s not enough, there’s another sound of squirting of lube and… oh god no. There’s MORE _FAPPING_.

This isn’t going to end at all, Izaya groans as the overpowering scent of dizzying pheromones completely paralyze his body and mind. He needs sex. He needs to be laid. His ass starts lubricating already and prepares itself for penetration and he curses softly at his own body once more.

AND HE ISN’T EVEN IN HEAT!

It takes at least four? Five fappings, before Shizuo finally comes out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed. Or perhaps he’s frustrated still, Izaya doesn’t know. All he knows is that his OWN body is dying for relief. He can’t touch himself. He can’t come. He can’t fap. All he can do is lay there and pretend to be god-damn asleep while his alpha relieves himself again and again at the thought of his omega being turned on by his own scent.

Izaya’s face is flushed with humiliation.

There’s the sound of footsteps again that pause near his cage and Izaya’s heart pounds again. By now it’s clear that his pants are wet in the front due to precum. That erection isn’t something he can really hide. Izaya keeps his eyes closed and prays that Shizuo will move on instead of unlocking the cage and finally…

Izaya doesn’t have to speculate further. Because the footsteps do move on. And the sound of sinking mattress is sweet to his ears. Then soon, the sound of snoring follows.

The omega carefully opens his eyes after a good half an hour, or what he thinks is that long. His body still feels paralyzed. And the air is so thick with Shizuo’s scent. The scent of his alpha’s pheromones as well as sweat and cum. Not only is it numbing but it’s also overwhelmingly intoxicating.

Izaya carefully sits up to look and sure enough, Shizuo is snoring away.

Shaking, Izaya peeks down and his pride crumbles at the sight of his own wet erection.

This is so. Humiliating.

He can’t believe he let… someone else… see him so aroused. While not in heat. There’s no excuse for this at all!

Carefully he squeezes his own erection on top of his wet pants and grimaces at the feeling. His fingers are instantly sticky and he does not like that feeling at all. But it’s painful. He’s had this rocking boner for a while now with no relief. Looking for something to cover himself with, Izaya only finds Shizuo’s stupid shirt in his cage.

As quietly as possible, Izaya slowly pulls out his erection from his wet pants. It’s covered in sticky mess. Oh god, this sucks hardcore.

Izaya then grabs Shizuo’s shirt and squeezes his cock with something dry. Much...better. He starts using it to slowly rub himself against it, moaning, shaking… his eyes closed as he starts to feel some relief. His ass starts to itch so he places a finger around his hole and presses.

 _“Haaa…. Nnnngh_ ….”

Y-yes… like that. He wants it like that… He feels his nipples grow hard against the fabric of his shirt and continues to stroke his cock faster and faster when…

“Do you… need help with that?”

Izaya jerks so hard he slams his head against the ceiling of his new cage and this time he did NOT plan that one. He winces as he looks up to see Shizuo staring down at him with concern.

“I….!!! I…!!!” Izaya stammers as he’s caught red-handed, masturbating with ‘his’ alpha’s scented shirt. Oh god…. Yes, well. His logical brain is telling him that this is good, his alpha would like seeing this but oh god his heart is screaming at him to ABORT MISSION NOW.

“E-erm…! Erm…!! T-This… this isn’t what it looks like?!” Izaya can’t believe he’s saying the most cliche line of all time and that he also did not help looking panicked because he is CLEARLY PANICKING RIGHT NOW.

“I’m not gonna do anything if you don’t want me to… but I think… I, um…” Shizuo is struggling to find words as much as Izaya is.

“I can give you the toy if you need it. Or I could - since you’re not in heat that is - It would probably be okay to touch you.”

“N-no!” Izaya shakes his head in shame and humiliation. His face is burning bright. “I… I’m fine. Please… can I… be left alone?”

He doesn’t want a dildo. Or Shizuo’s help. He just wants privacy and to be left alone! He’s a grown man caught masturbating, please save him some face here!

Shizuo gets up from his bed like he’s going to leave and his movements are jerky and clumsy. He stops in front of Izaya’s cage, breathing a little too hard for someone who just came five times and he doesn’t look like he wants to leave.

“Are you sure?” He asks, his voice cracking in desperation. He licks his lips. “I promise I won’t fuck you if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ll do whatever you want.”

His scent is so strong. It’s overpoweringly strong. For a S-class omega like Izaya, he thought maybe he would have some resistance, but no. He’s not a beta. The scent completely dominates his mind.

“....Please… hold me?” Izaya is shocked to hear himself say those words.

The cage swings open immediately. But even as he’s panting like a dog, Shizuo waits with his hands halfway in as if he wants to grab Izaya but still refuses to invade his space. Instead, he’s beckoning Izaya to come to him. Izaya crawls out like a newborn baby deer and Shizuo scoops him up the moment his fingertips brush Izaya’s shoulders.

Shizuo holds Izaya tightly, sniffing his hair and neck. He takes Izaya to his bed to sit and keeps him in his lap, rubbing his shoulders and back soothingly.

“It’s okay.” He says, his voice soft and hoarse. “I’ve got you.”

No, it’s not okay. This is the WORST possible scenario. Shizuo is also clearly turned on. Izaya can tell by the crazy amount of pheromones in the air. Intoxicated, Izaya’s mind is completely useless by now, unable think about resisting this alpha as he leans back and groans. Then he turns around to wrap his arms around Shizuo’s neck and starts to thrust his hips for friction. His pants have fallen down his knees and his bare erection is rubbing wet against Shizuo’s stomach. He’s given up on his pride. Like the time when he was in heat, nothing else is on his mind but the need for his relief.

Shizuo moans loudly and starts covering Izaya’s hair in kisses. He grabs Izaya by the collar and pulls the omega’s face into his neck as if there was a chance for Izaya to smell anything other than Shizuo before. “Can I touch you? Please?” He begs.

“Y-yes…” Izaya replies, his breath faltering. “Yes… _please_ ….” There’s another squirt of precum that agrees with this statement.

Shizuo groans and his hips buck up into Izaya. He touches the head of Izaya’s cock gently, then wraps his fingers around the shaft and strokes up, moaning as though he’s the one being touched. Izaya hisses softly as the head of his cock is encased hotly and thrusts upward.

“It feels good… it feels so good…” Izaya brainlessly moans in ecstasy. He is so drunk on pheromones, he is not himself anymore as he starts thrusting in and out of Shizuo’s wet fingers. “Please… finger… me too…” His ass is already lubricating and is itchy. His thighs are covered with his discharge and are dripping wet.

Shizuo whimpers like a desperate dog and his hips buck up again with more passion despite the action being unfulfilling. The alpha takes a few steadying breaths and pushes one finger into Izaya for the first time. Izaya shudders violently at the penetration, the ecstasy so grand he almost came instantly. In his current state, it’s lost to Izaya that this is the first time any of Shizuo’s body parts has ever been inside Izaya… but not lost to Shizuo.

“ _Nnngh… nnngh… aaah… ahhhn_ … yes… d...deeper… deeper…! Please… _aaahnn_ …” Izaya drools, his eyes rolling over as he moves his hips up and down in a shallow motion. He is a sight to behold, his mouth gasping and drooling, his eyes rolled back, his legs spread apart on Shizuo’s lap while moving his hips to finger fuck himself. As if that’s not enough, Izaya rolls up his shirt and keeps it held up high to reveals his taunt nipples.

“M-more… I… I need more… _please… oh god…_ ” Such a willing and needy omega’s appearance makes the alpha swallow very hard. He wants to grab onto that ass and spread it open and fuck him hard on his bed. But no, he wills himself to hold back. This is an omega in a state of arousal similar to heat. It’s a natural occurrence, according to the book, if the omega is covered often in alpha’s scent and pheromones without any sexual contact. Still, his omega is demanding more and Shizuo doesn’t think he can deny him.

“You’re so … beautiful. And so sexy… I’ve never met anyone like you… and...” Shizuo whispers, breathing in the omega’s sex appeal, the scent getting to him too. He wants to say ‘ _and you’re mine_ ,’ but stops himself. Not yet… but he will be soon. Even as he resists his own throbbing manhood he licks Izaya’s supple nipple. He tastes so delicious. He allows himself one more reward and sucks the taunt nipple after a few swipes of his tongue.

Shizuo needs more. He will keep his promise but… he never promised he wouldn’t touch himself. He can’t help himself as he pulls his heavy cock out of his sweatpants, jacking himself off again and desperate to come while sucking on Izaya’s nipples.

“ _Nnngh… nnngh_ … d-deeper… deep… _Aaaaaah!_!!!” Izaya sits down on Shizuo’s finger after fucking himself on it and suddenly yelps as if he’s in pain, but Shizuo knows what that is. He jerks and comes hard onto Shizuo’s stomach, splattering him with a thick, hot load of his cum as the finger presses hard against his prostate for the first time. Exhausted, he flops backward and Shizuo catches him before he falls off the bed. After such a climactic orgasm, Izaya has fainted away.

Shizuo lays Izaya on his back, fisting his cock even faster. He crawls between Izaya’s legs and before he can think through what he’s doing he swallows Izaya’s cock to suck him clean. Eventually, he comes with Izaya’s softening cock on his tongue. He does try to aim to shoot his cum around Izaya’s ass and when he pulls up for the view, his omega looks so perfect covered in _his_ cum while fainted from his glorious orgasm.

By the time Izaya wakes up again, it’s dark. Shizuo is gone out to work again. It’s almost as if it’s been all a dream as he’s back in his cage with the same book where he left it, just outside his cage and within his reach. The 5th one…

He is clean. He doesn’t feel any different. Perhaps it was all a dream. Shizuo hadn’t caught him masturbating. Izaya didn’t crawl into his lap and beg to be finger fucked and rode him like a wild cat in heat. Perhaps…

But when Izaya looks down, he groans in dismay.

He is wearing a different pair of pants.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: Fufufu. The plot thickens dun, dun, dun. I hope that was a 'steamy' hug haha.
> 
> Bad: Did someone order smut? No? Just a hug and a timely update? Whoops.
> 
> Huge thanks to sollertis for betaing!


	11. Chapter 11

Orihara Izaya had a lot of soul searching to do.

Mainly dissecting whatever the _fuck_ had happened last night.

Okay, he gets that… this… alpha pheromone thing is real. It actually did affect him in a bizarre way. It did make him super horny and he did, in fact, get absolutely crazily aroused by that scent.  And maybe those dumb alpha pheromone candles aren’t so dumb after all. Maybe.

Still, there’re several things that don’t match up. One, the other alphas’ pheromones, several of them, possibly A-rank, did not affect him like that. Especially that time at the phone booth when he was trying to escape from Shizuo… nor that time with Kadota, albeit he is just a B-rank. Which leads him to think about ‘ _that one time_ ’ with Kadota again but Izaya stops himself. He has to focus on the ‘ _now_.’

Two, Izaya has no idea if this _phenomenon_ is exclusive to Shizuo’s alpha rank or not. Perhaps all omegas go crazy over Shizuo’s powerful scent. Maybe even betas. Similar to the way people went crazy over Izaya’s pheromones when he was in heat.

Three. This reaction could be related to Shizuo being a S-rank or it could have to do with Izaya being a S-rank omega. It could go either way. Or both. Maybe it’s because they are both S-ranks that the scent has a much more powerful effect. Izaya can’t say for sure which is correct without any other variables.

Four. Maybe it has nothing to do with the ranks or their own classes. …. Maybe Izaya himself had wanted it.

Izaya frowns. He didn’t particularly like that line of thought but self-denial can be dangerous. So he has to accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, he was aroused by Shizuo and not their crazy biology.

He could continue to make a list and make it as logical and scientific as he can in order to depersonalize. The more he thinks about it, the more he hates himself for what happened last night. The truth is that it happened to him. Psychoanalyzing oneself can only go so far but he had witnessed the change within himself; how much he had wanted Shizuo. How he couldn’t resist throwing away all his pride and careful planning and just _let it go_.

Izaya scratches his head in frustration. What’s worse is, the more he thinks about it, the more his body craves it again. Is it an after effect? Izaya feels scandalous and disgusted with himself, not to mention completely mortified. Perhaps it’s related to his awakening. He did start having heats only recently. He had never been interested in sex or any sexual contact before, which had led him to believe he was a strong beta. No one even questioned his status or class.

It was either his own body starting to awaken to Shizuo’s sexual touches or… it’s just all Kadota’s fault.

Thinking back on it again, it was supposed to be an innocent excursion. They had both graduated from high school. They had their high school diplomas in one hand and the university acceptance letters in the other. Kadota was a bit upset that he couldn’t make it into the same university as Izaya. Izaya had achieved a full scholarship and was accepted to the highest ranking university in the area. Kadota only made it to a secondary ranking school.

_“Cheer up,” Izaya told him. “At least our universities aren’t too far apart so we may run into each other.”_

_But both knew that that wouldn’t happen. They both knew what distance would do to their friendship. They have heard plenty of stories where one gets busy with the club or other circles in university. And with how obsessive Izaya can get with his studies it’s unlikely he’ll even think of making time for Kadota. They will both make new friends and drift apart. Izaya didn’t particularly mind. But it seemed to make Kadota a bit more agitated than normal. Kadota was usually a calm alpha so when he actually showed outward appearance of frustration, Izaya took notice._

_Which led to Izaya buying him a graduation gift._

_“Izaya… I think this is really a bad idea.” Kadota repeated again for the fifth time._

_“Oh come on. You’re of legal age. Technically so am I. But an alpha has their needs right? What if you accidentally run into an omega or those pimps push you into one in heat? I heard that sort of thing happens a lot when you go to drinking parties with your circle. You won’t want to be the only virgin alpha there right?” Izaya giggled as he dragged his reluctant friend to the omega house._

_Izaya paid for the ticket at the entrance. The owner of the establishment checked their papers indicating their rank and health. Izaya checked off that only one of the alphas would be buying the omega, he was there for moral support. No, he won’t be touching anyone, just watching. Raw? No. Protection? Yes. Kadota’s last physical paper indicated he was healthy with no known transmittable disease._

_Kadota was clearly more nervous than Izaya but that was to be expected. The entire house was flooded with the scent of omegas in heat. It was making Kadota twitch not just in nervousness but sheer willpower to control himself._

_Izaya was given a pamphlet with all the available omegas and he flipped through them._

_“Which one do you want? Oh, she’s kinda cute. Or how about this one? He’s apparently new. Do you want one who’s as less experienced as you are?” Izaya giggled, making jokes to try to calm his friend’s nerves._

_Kadota seriously wasn’t in his right mind. He was holding the front of his pants and was shaking. Izaya had never seen him like this._

_“Dotachin?” Izaya peered over. “It’ll be alright.”_

_“I… I really think this is a bad idea…”_

_“No. I think you really need it.” Izaya said placidly but firm. “If just being in the vicinity of the scent of the omegas in heat makes you like this, you won’t want to encounter one in the streets or with your circle. It’ll be a good experience to encounter one now.”_

_“I-Izaya.”_

_“I insist.” Izaya shoved the pamphlet of pictures in front of the shaking and sickly looking alpha. “Choose.”_

_Eventually, Izaya had to choose the omega. A sweet looking girl with dark hair and big doe eyes. Izaya wasn’t sure if she was drugged to be in heat or if it was natural. The purpose of the omega house was to provide a safe haven for omegas in heat. It was also supposed to provide alphas who needed release to meet with omegas who were in heat and were desperately seeking for their own release in a safe environment._

_Or that was what it was supposed to be._

_There were a few illegal omega houses, more like whore houses where the omegas were kept thereby force and drugged to keep them permanently in heat. Most of these were in control by the local yakuza and looked down upon. Izaya had tried his best to find the proper, government-funded omega house where they were supposed to have omegas who seriously came there during their heat and then were let go after their heat period was over. Izaya looked over and sure enough, windows weren’t barred which was a good sign. Besides, there had been plenty of real account stories where omega and their partners did fall in love and marry. And it was one of the only ways for omegas to properly meet other alpha and beta in public since many omegas were kept at home by their family in fear of what may happen to them in the streets._

_She was laying on her bed which had no blankets, covering herself in nothing but the sheer silk-like fabric that ran from her neck down to her two supple breasts and then clung to her around her hips. It was easy to take off, just a clip at the back of her neck would make the entire dress fall to her feet. Izaya couldn’t help but feel like the whole room was too utilitarian and simple, like a brothel, and the girl wore an easy slip-off, similar to a prostitute’s. The omega didn’t need any help to entice anyone. She was pretty with a B-rank omega’s heat. The scent was strong, she must be in the middle of her week, Izaya had thought. The scent of omegas in heat never affected Izaya before, granted, this was also his first time smelling one in the same room._

_Izaya looked over to see how Kadota was faring and he didn’t look too good. He had his back to the door and looked as if he wanted to turn around and run as far away as he could._

_“Oh no, you aren’t.” Izaya grabbed Kadota’s wrist and forced him to step forward.  He finally got him to sit on the bed next to the omega and then Izaya grabbed a chair and sat down, being the obstacle between Kadota and the door._

_The omega had more experience. She sat up and started to unbutton Kadota’s shirt one by one. She too must have been affected by her own heat and Kadota’s scent but she was collected enough to be able to unbutton without hurry or messing up the process. Kadota, on the other hand, was covered in sweat, gripping the mattress and… that impressive bulge. Not to mention his own pheromone that started to flood the room. Izaya started to feel like he too was suffocating with both the omega’s heat and the alpha’s reactory scent._

_When the shirt was unbuttoned, she started to unzip Kadota’s trousers. Izaya leaned forward despite the whiff of the strong dizzying scent. She was kissing him, along Kadota’s throat and down the exposed chest; but not on his lips. Lips were meant for his true mate and the omega knew that. Her hands were touching him sensually as Izaya too watched with bated breath. He flatly ignored Kadota’s eyes pleading him for help. He had never actually seen an alpha take an omega and Izaya was totally engrossed in watching it as it all unfolded in front of him. Poor Kadota was often his test subject for many of his personal researches. As a boy intrigued by the unpredictable nuances of human nature, dark or light, Izaya wanted to watch what happened when someone like Kadota was forced in a situation like this. Did he give in to his carnal nature or would his willpower overcome his temptation? Were alphas and omegas truly as animalistic as the media and experts say? If anyone could prove it wrong, maybe Kadota could._

_Just as the omega was about to push Kadota down in bed and get on top of him, which made Izaya’s eyes widen when she hiked her skirt up, Kadota pushed her down. Izaya’s heart was fluttering even more rapidly before he sighed in exasperation when Kadota got up and away from the bed. Kadota hastily grabbed Izaya by the wrist and wrenched him from his seat, almost ripping the door from the hinges when getting out._

_Izaya pouted hard when Kadota slammed him against the wall, his chest heaving hard right outside the omega house._

_“Don’t. Ever. Do that again.”_

_“Aww… Dotachin. You were so close. Was that your first kisses at least?”_

“IZAYA!!!!”

_“Okay, Okay. Maybe it got a little out of hand but…”_

_“A LITTLE?!”_

_“Okay, what I’m saying is…”_

_“Izaya.” Kadota sighed, still covered in sweat and trying to breathe some real air instead of the scent of omega that was surely clogging his lungs and clouding his mind. “That’s not the point. You and I both know this isn’t about… I don’t like being your guinea pig.” Kadota finally managed to say after several harsh breaths._

_“Well, I…”_

_“No. Listen.” Kadota stopped him. “There’s… someone I like.”_

_Izaya paused at that. He peered over at Kadota who instantly avoided his gaze._

_“Who is it? I’ve not seen you interested in anyone before.”_

_“I don’t want to talk about it and I don’t want you to know who it is because I know you will take advantage of it somehow,” Kadota growled as he started to button back his shirt and zip his pants._

_“Heh… is it serious?” Izaya’s eyes twinkled with renewed interest._

_“Shut up.” And Kadota turned to leave. Izaya followed with a skip and a hop, laughing at Kadota now that he had found a new weakness for him to exploit._

_“Who is it? Who? Someone I know I bet. Who’s the lucky bastard huh? Oh, wait, don’t you normally like mature ones? Is it our history teacher from…”_

_“Izayaaaaaaaaaaa!”_

Thinking back on it, Izaya was certain that _that_ specific event took place a month before their university started. And a month before his period began during his first class of school.

Could it be possible? That his heat cycle had to do with that event where he breathed in another omega’s heat? Or perhaps it was more plausible that his heat cycle was triggered by breathing in an alpha’s pheromone. Somehow Izaya felt that it had to do with the alpha’s scent more than the omega’s. And Izaya thinks that it might have to do with Kadota’s strong scent of arousal more than anything else.

If that is the case, Izaya laughs at the irony where he had tried to pull a prank on Kadota but the tables are turned on him now. Here he is, stuck in an omega body in a cage due to that little experiment he had planned.

Regardless of the event that had unfolded afterward, thinking back on it, now Izaya wondered about something.

Could Kadota… have a crush on him?

He had never really bothered to think about that. It never really interested Izaya much. But now reflecting back, Izaya starts to try to see if there’s any point in time that Kadota had hinted that he had a crush….

…

No, there really isn’t anything. Not once did Kadota ever even hint at it. His pheromones never flared up protectively like Shizuo’s when they were together or even in possibly intimate moments.

Pushing that thought aside, Izaya is fairly certain that his heat was triggered in the first place by the alpha’s scent. Before then, Izaya had never smelled an alpha’s aroused pheromone.

Which again came back to his situation with Shizuo. Was his own arousal triggered by Shizuo’s scent? It seems likely, but why only Shizuo and no other alpha?. Perhaps the man in the phone booth lied about being an A-rank. But no, that probably isn’t the case. That yakuza really was an A-rank but his pheromone just didn’t affect Izaya as strongly as Shizuo’s did.

Or, it’s not about alpha’s pheromones and it’s because of Shizuo’s an S-rank.

….or the option three. Izaya just was naturally turned on by Shizuo.

Izaya rolls around in his small tiny-ass cage in frustration and anger. Oh god, he really hopes the latter is not the case.

There are still several possibilities, such as it was both of them being S-rank, or both of their scent being combined in general etc, but Izaya’s trying to narrow it down to what might be the truth versus what can just be an unlikely probability.

Well, he still had several hours before Shizuo came back from work. And until then, Izaya can continue to agonize privately about the mortifying event that took place last night.

* * *

Shizuo’s officially spent several minutes polishing the same glass and it’s not even one of the bar’s nicer glasses.

_He comes home with a few freshly caught fish. It’s not as many as yesterday but it’s starting to get colder and he knows Izaya will welcome him home all the same._

_Their house is so small that the kitchen and sitting area are overlapping and their bed is placed on an openly visible loft. But they built it together. Well Shizuo did more building and Izaya did more bossing around but it’s still their home._

_It’s just the two of them for miles and miles. There are no honking cars and no sirens lighting up the night. Just the nest of the forest, cicadas, the moon and countless, real stars._

_And most importantly, no society that can tell Shizuo and Izaya what to do._

_Shizuo takes the two uneven wooden steps that make up the porch Izaya never has to set foot off of up to their narrow front door and walks in to see Izaya up in the loft with their cat, reading. Izaya likes to be high up, just like a cat. Izaya smiles when he sees Shizuo but doesn’t move from his comfortable position to help Shizuo with the fish, as usual. His collar is still locked on tight and there’s a vibrant mark on his neck to show that Izaya is his mate._

_Shizuo joins Izaya up on the loft and Izaya puts down the book to welcome him home with open arms. He lays his head on Izaya’s chest with one hand supporting the back of Izaya’s head and the other brushing their cat’s soft fur. Everything is so quiet and peaceful here. Out in the mountains, where no one knows how to find them. Where it just smells like their garden and moss and him and Izaya. And Izaya’s happy here because he never has to be anything but Shizuo’s mate._

_Izaya’s going to be happy this way. Shizuo promised him he’d be happy like this._

“-Hey, Earth to Shizuo!” A familiar voice cuts through his daydream.

“Huh?” Shizuo grunts, snapping out of it. Fuck, he forgot he was at work.

“I didn’t want to interrupt you if you were busy, but you’ve just been polishing that glass, staring out the window. Everything okay?” Tom, one of the regulars, asks while tapping his cigarette ash into one of the bar’s trays.

“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. Everything’s great.” Shizuo says, a serene smile playing on his lips. He sets the sparkling glass down and turns to Tom. “Sorry about that, the usual?”

“Naturally,” Tom leans forward over the bar with a grin. “I’ve never seen that look before. Something happen?”

Shizuo turns away to get Tom’s drink and wills his face to go back to normal, but he just can’t stop smiling. He feels like a high schooler with a crush… not that he knows what it’s like to be a high schooler with a crush.

“Nothing… really special.” Shizuo tries to deflect the question because he’s a horrible liar. He turns back with Tom’s beer to see ‘bullshit’ written all over his face.

“Just thinking about the dream house, that’s all.” He explains. Shizuo’s spoken to Tom about his dream to leave the city before and it’s not completely a lie.

“Ah, that thing again?” Tom chuckles. “I have no idea how anyone could live somewhere all alone without going completely crazy.”

Living all alone was the original plan but now that he’s got Izaya the plan’s changed a little. Not that he’s going to mention that little detail to Tom.

“Living in this city is what makes me crazy.” Shizuo jokes back, leaning on the bar with his elbow’s towards Tom.

Tom laughs, “Yeah, I guess so. But who would get me a beer and listen to me talk about my day if you left?”

“There are other bartenders here.”

“Yeah, but none of them are bombshell blonds like you.”

Shizuo laughs, easily relaxing with the conversation. Tom’s always making jokes like that.

He listens to Tom talk, mostly, while he occasionally gets other people drinks. He’s never away from Tom for more than a few moments because no one orders anything more complicated than a whiskey on the rocks in this part of town.

He was so angry to leave Izaya this evening, especially with how long Izaya had been dead asleep after he passed out from Shizuo brushing his prostate with his pointer finger. That had really been a surprise, considering how many more times he came with the dildo before fainting. Although, he had been in heat then, Shizuo supposes that makes things different.

Finally, _finally_ , Izaya had let Shizuo touch him. It was way further than Shizuo was expecting to get so soon. And they haven’t even _kissed_ yet!

But kisses are going to be coming soon. Shizuo’s sure they will. He’ll be patient, of course, but he’s certain now that Izaya wants this just as bad as Shizuo does. Soon he’s going to see all of the real Izaya and learn everything about him. Soon Izaya’s going to understand that staying with Shizuo is best for him and maybe then they can sell some of those diamonds for what they’re really worth and then they’ll have more than enough to leave the city together.

Then it can be just the two of them. Izaya won’t have to be scared when it’s just the two of them and Shizuo won’t ever have to leave him alone at night to go to work. They can sleep all night together and spend all day together and Shizuo will make Izaya feel good every second he lets him.

“You’re doing it again. I didn’t even know you could make that face! Come on, there’s got to be something else on your mind!” Tom cuts off in the middle of his story to call Shizuo out on his goofy smile again.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Really, I-”

“Come on, who’s the lucky guy? Or girl?”

Shizuo laughs but this time a nervous sweat has broken out on his palms.

“Why does it have to be a person?”

“I guess it doesn’t…” Tom takes the last swig of his beer and asks for a refill.

“... Is it that smoking hot librarian? I bet it’s her.”

“....” Shizuo holds the fresh beer just out of Tom’s reach as a hostage.

“.... Okay, okay, I won’t ask again. But just so you know, I’m jealous. My best jokes never make you that happy.”

Shizuo snorts and hands over the glass.

“That’s because you’re not that funny.”

“Hey! I’m funny!”

The rest of his shift goes by, crawling as it has every day since he’s had Izaya at home waiting for him. But today it’s a little easier, caught between Tom’s bad jokes and half-formed daydreams about all the things he can do to Izaya in that little imaginary cabin without anything to ever call him away again.

After work, Shizuo goes to the local grocery store again to stop by for some fancy coffee and a newspaper. He doesn’t have a coffee maker but there’s plenty of places selling coffee at this hour. He gets the most expensive coffee he can find in the area, because that’s probably the best kind, to bring as a present. Izaya had said he likes coffee and had said something about the news while whining about a TV. Shizuo still doesn’t really want a TV but a newspaper is easy enough. It is nice to be able to have the money to buy things for his omega. It feels good, Shizuo admits. But not quite so proud of how he earned it. He does privately wonder about a possibility of a higher-paying job. Regardless, once they sell all the diamonds and move out, it won’t be a problem. Maybe they can even grow coffee beans in their little forest. Shizuo should make a list of things he would need to buy to please Izaya once they do move to the middle of nowhere. Like a coffee machine, for example. And a library of books.

Ultimately, Shizuo wants to be able to provide for his Izaya. Already he can see how happy he will be when he brings this coffee home with the newspaper. He smiles to himself privately as he turns the key and opens the door.

* * *

“Yay, coffee! It’s coffee!!” Izaya is bouncing around holding the coffee can and doing a twirl in the bedroom. Shizuo had let him out of his cage as soon as he got home and showed him the gifts he brought. Izaya immediately lept for a quick hug that Shizuo is learning to expect as a little reward. He pulls away before Shizuo can really enjoy the hug even though he wasn’t stunned this time and grabs the presents. He seems really happy. No matter how carefully Shizuo tries to analyze Izaya, he doesn’t seem remotely embarrassed about what happened. Which is a very good sign.

Izaya takes the coffee and the newspaper and crawls back into his cage on his own to read. He even closes the door behind him and is about to lock it in place. Shizuo eyes how eager Izaya seems to get back in his little box and clears his throat.

“Erm, Izaya. Before you go… why don’t we have breakfast?”

“Oh right.” Izaya sheepishly comes back out, his eyes still on the newspaper as if he’s reluctant to leave it.

“Well, if you want, you can read it right now while I go shower?”

“Okay!” Izaya immediately crawls back into the cage again to read.

Shizuo wonders if Izaya’s starting to like his new cage or just likes having his private space. Izaya had looked so happy to be out the other day and was clearly avoiding getting back in the cage. Maybe that section he read in ‘How to be the Best Alpha’ was right after all. The book had said that as part of their nesting habits, omegas tend to prefer closed, secure spaces. Like how cats feel more relaxed in boxes. Maybe Izaya’s finally getting more comfortable here and nesting, finally making Shizuo’s home his home too. That would be nice. Regardless, Shizuo takes a long shower in the cold, giving Izaya plenty of time to catch up on the news that Shizuo works so hard to avoid.

By the time Shizuo comes out, Izaya sits up and looks ready to be unlocked since he’s a little speed-reader and had plenty of time to finish the paper. Shizuo unlocks the door with the damp towel still draped over his hair and moves aside to give his omega space to crawl out.

“So, what should I cook for breakfast today, Shizu-chan?”

“Erm, anything really. It was good last time so…”

Izaya nods as he goes to the kitchen and opens the fridge. They had bought enough groceries for about a week. Shizuo sits on the creaky wooden chair in the kitchen to watch Izaya make some new recipe from his head with his hips swaying to whatever he’s humming. He loves this, seeing his omega in an apron, scurrying around and making a home cooked meal for them to share. If only they could be in their dream home in the forest, it’d be perfect.

Izaya carefully lays out their breakfast on the small table. Rice with stir-fried vegetable and beef. And miso soup. It smells delicious and tastes even better.  

Afterwards, Izaya’s in the kitchen washing the dishes, insisting that he can do it himself despite Shizuo’s offer to help. So Shizuo moves to sit on his bed and once again watches the small back of the omega in his kitchen through the open doorway while his mind wanders. He’s been wondering about something that he read in those books he checked out. He can’t remember which one it was specifically since he switches between them so often but he’s pretty sure he read it in at least two of them. He hadn’t believed it, at first, because it just didn’t sound like it fit what he knew about Izaya. But after what had happened between them, he’s starting to think it might not have been entirely wrong… He can admit to himself that he wouldn’t mind it one bit if they’re right about this.

Shizuo clears his throat once Izaya turns off the faucet. He’s not sure how Izaya will react and that makes him a bit nervous but… He’s not a danger to Izaya. Izaya is safe with him and he must know that by now. He takes a breath to steady himself, turning over what he’s going to say in his head again, and speaking in the most gentle, but the self-assured voice he can.

“Izaya. Come here.”

The timid looking omega peers through the entrance, looking a tad nervous at the command. _Damn it, you’re not supposed to be nervous,_ Shizuo berates himself. But he can still make this better. Shizuo patiently waits for Izaya to come to him, taking his usual tiny nervous steps forward.

“What is it, Shizu-chan?”

Shizuo tries to ignore that pet name again since he knows Izaya’s just doing his best to be endearing. He clears his throat once more, not certain about how to approach this without sounding selfish but he hopes that maybe Izaya had come across this in his own reading and will understand.

“There’s… something I want to talk to you about. I’m… worried that I’m not taking good enough care of you and I know I can’t be around as much as I should be but… I don’t want you to feel neglected.”

“...Alright.” Izaya slowly nods, his entire body trembling. Shizuo can’t tell if Izaya’s playing it up for sympathy or not. On one hand, despite his efforts, Shizuo has officially made this conversation sound terrifying. On the other hand, he already knows Izaya’s bolder than he makes himself out to be.

“I think we should try… training.”

“Training?” Izaya tilts his head, not understanding him. Shizuo’s practically sweating at this point. Oh, there is no good way to say this. Maybe the book was wrong. Maybe he should just shut up before he says something he can’t take back.... No, Izaya was in so much pain last time. He has to at least try to make it better...

“I mean, preparing you for your next heat cycle.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	12. Chapter 12

 

Izaya takes a sharp intake of breath and before he can even respond to Shizuo the alpha already starts to ramble.

“I just think that… I mean, you were in a lot of pain last time and neither of us really know about your body or limits and… um, I was reading and I think that two nights ago was… a neglect-induced heat.”

“Neglect?” Izaya shifts in a bit closer. Really? Well, that could actually be a possibility. Izaya still thinks it’s more of Shizuo’s pheromones but it could be true. With Shizuo’s pheromones causing the neglect in Izaya’s body, maybe it could have triggered such a strong reaction. “Go on.”

“Yeah. I think I read it in the biology book, uhh the one called ‘Omega and You. How Our Bodies Differ’. Or maybe it was ‘Guide to Being the Best Alpha for Your Omega.’ Anyway, it said that if an omega lives surrounded by alpha pheromones but has no… physical contact… the body thinks that it’s being neglected so it makes a sort of little heat to try and attract the alpha for protection.”

Izaya stares at Shizuo stunned. That is actually a plausible theory. Granted whatever mumble jumble these alphas make as an excuse to keep omegas as second-class citizens or surrogate slaves is questionable at best, but still. That actually has some inkling of thought and logic.

“Okay… what do you propose then, Shizu-chan?” Izaya still isn’t sure what kind of ‘training’ Shizuo has in mind.

Shizuo swallows. “Uh, we could touch each other more often. Like more hugs and… Maybe I could kiss your neck?”

“My neck?!” Izaya touches his throat only for his fingers to touch the leather of his collar instead of his flesh, reminding him again who he’s collared for. “Why my neck?” Seriously. How would _that_ help him in his heat when his lower parts are what’s screaming at him again?

“Because… that’s where mate marks normally are. I know we’re not mates and I promise I won’t mark you! It just… might help your body calm down? Just for a start?” There’s a lot that is clearly unspoken, like the promise of not marking Izaya _yet_ and the way Shizuo hesitates after saying _just for a start._ He clearly has more ideas.

“I… I don’t think that’ll help me… calm down.” Izaya dismisses the idea. It’s ridiculous. He’s pretty sure that it’s Shizuo who wants to kiss his neck since he can’t mark him. Just yet. Besides, the temptation might be too great for this one.

Shizuo is visibly disappointed at Izaya’s rejection, but he keeps going.

“Okay, but… there’s some other stuff I _really_ think you should try. Like maybe… get used to the dildo when… you don’t _need_ it for your heat. So it’s more comfortable for you and you’re more aware of how it feels.”

“....” Izaya hesitates. That’s a good idea but… it feels like Shizuo still has an ulterior motive. Such as, stretching his asshole to fit Shizuo’s gigantic cock for instance. He’s also extremely mortified at the idea of Shizuo watching the entire process.

“And I think I should be there for it. So you don’t feel neglected.”

Okay, yes. VERY mortified at the idea of voyeurism. But if Shizuo is right, and it sounds very plausible that it is at least _partially_ true, then…

“O-okay.” Izaya agrees. “But,” Izaya adds before Shizuo leaps with joy. “N-not… yet. I mean. The dildo. Erm… can we take it slow at first?” Izaya looks down as his cheeks flush hard. There’s no acting involved in making his face turn red at this point. His entire body and mind feel revolted by the idea already.

Shizuo nods eagerly and his hands come up like he wants to hug Izaya but isn’t letting himself. “Okay! Whatever you want, we can do some other stuff too!”

“N-now?!” Izaya gulps hard at Shizuo’s outstretched hands. Then he takes a step forward, his arms wrapping around himself as if he’s cold.

Shizuo wraps his arms around Izaya and pulls him in for a hug and rubs his cheek against Izaya’s chest.

“We don’t have to do anything serious right now. But maybe… we could start slow and you could let me hold you more today. And then maybe we can do a little bit later?”

“...Alright.” Izaya takes another step closer and sits on Shizuo’s lap on his bed. “I trust you.” He replies while looking up at him, widening his eyes even more. He knows that makes his eyes prettier and by now, Shizuo has mentioned several times how weak he is to his eyes. The truth is, he doesn’t trust Shizuo. At all. But he will say it to gain Shizuo’s trust.

The obvious excitement is written all over Shizuo’s face as he pulls Izaya closer and holds him steady on his lap with soft, large hands on Izaya’s waist. The blond turns Izaya around so his back is to Shizuo’s chest. He starts by slowly massaging Izaya’s shoulders, carefully kneading them so it won’t hurt and rolling his thumbs over certain spots to ease the tension. Shizuo’s good at this, Izaya realizes as he involuntarily relaxes. He’s pouring out the same protective, possessive pheromones he did two nights ago which were so dangerous. It makes Izaya a bit apprehensive but he remains still as Shizuo continues to make a small circular motion with his thumbs.

Once Shizuo feels Izaya’s relaxed enough, his hands slide down a bit lower to the raven’s upper arms. Izaya tenses at first at the change but relaxes again, letting Shizuo work his way with him. If it’s just a massage, it’s not a bad thing, but somehow Izaya knows, it won’t end in just a simple ‘massage.’

“Please don’t be scared. If you want me to stop, just tell me.” He mumbles into the top of Izaya’s head. He must have been able to feel Izaya stiffen. Izaya takes another deep breath and lets it out slowly. He needs to relax. He needs Shizuo to think that he ‘trusts’ him. So Izaya carefully leans back into Shizuo’s chest.

He’s breathing in too much of Shizuo’s scent again, Izaya thinks to himself. That possessive and protective smell which intoxicated him before. Again he can feel himself relax further despite his mind warning him about what had happened the last time they were this close.

Shizuo’s chest rises and falls deeply and Izaya can feel it on the back of his head. His other hand has moved down Izaya’s arms to finally rests on Izaya’s waist. Izaya lowers his head and can see the perpetrating hands groping him. His breath hitches when they slide up a bit, his fingers lingering right under Izaya’s nipples. He trembles warily as Shizuo’s fingers dip under, making him feel even more conscious of his small pectorals before they slide lower to settle across his ribs.

The tension melts only just a little as those sensual, warm hands glide down even further down, settling on his hips. Izaya watches helplessly as Shizuo’s hands finally descend to their eventual destination, the pads of his fingers gliding across his hip bone’s natural lines over his clothes, rubbing him there over and over. A soft sigh escapes when one of Shizuo’s fingers finally dips under the hem of his pants, only by one joint.

“S…. Shizu-chan…” Izaya’s voice trembles a bit when he starts to feel the first hint of his arousal.

“Shh… it’ll be alright. I’ve got you.” Shizuo’s voice is thick and rough before he clears his throat. _But who’s keeping Shizuo in check,_ Izaya groans. No one it seems as the second finger slides under too, carefully rubbing him where his thighs join his hips.

It’s nothing serious. Just a massage. Just strokes and touches but with the thickness of the alpha’s pheromones in the air, it’s nothing close to ‘innocent.’

Izaya still isn’t sure if it’s from Shizuo’s scent or his own body’s need… or a combination of both. But he knows for certain now that when Shizuo releases his pheromones and Izaya relaxes in bed with him… _this_ will certainly happen.

“I’m sorry I can’t be home all the time to make you feel like this.” Shizuo’s rasps in Izaya’s ear. One of his hands drifts lower, still outside of Izaya’s clothes to rub his outer thigh. “Warm and with enough space to stretch your legs. But you’ll be safe with me. I promise.” He isn’t saying it but Izaya has a feeling there is more to this. Something more about wanting Izaya to feel aroused all the time but he can’t concentrate. Slowly his mind is doing that thing again where when he’s aroused, he can’t seem to think properly. But he is not in heat. Perhaps when omegas are aroused it really does make it hard to concentrate.

“And I’ll make sure you feed you, water you… with enough sunshine. To keep you safe.”

Izaya doesn’t understand how watering and sunshine can keep him safe but he isn’t thinking much anymore. His breathing has gotten just as rough as Shizuo’s. The hands molesting him dive under his pants and he watches the invasion happen while he sits and does nothing. He might as well have consented to the touch and is reeling at the feeling of his cock and balls being manhandled underneath his tight pants.

“S-Shizu-chan… Nnngh…. I… I…” He drools unknowingly, still staring dumbfoundedly as those hands disappear into his pants and fondle his testicles.

“What do you want?” His alpha asks softly. “I’ll do whatever you want…” Except leave Izaya alone and stop drugging him with his alpha scent, apparently. That and Shizuo’s always telling him he’ll do whatever he wants… when Izaya’s so intoxicated that he _wants_ Shizuo to fuck him.

Like right now.

Already Izaya’s body and mind are paralyzed again, drunk on Shizuo’s pheromones.

“D-don’t stop....” Izaya closes his eyes and swallows his pride. If he wants Shizuo to believe that he trusts him then this is probably one of the best ways to do so. Izaya holds one of Shizuo’s wrists and brings the hand further down. His mouth opens up in a silent plea.

“A-Alright,” Shizuo clears his throat several times as one of the hands pulls out to unbutton his pants. Izaya gasps loudly at the sudden relief. Then he breathes hard as Shizuo peels away his sticky pants. Izaya had not realized he had creamed himself. Well, more like, a lot of precum and discharge from his ass had soaked him more than he had noticed.

Shizuo breathes in deeply through his mouth like he’s tasting Izaya’s arousal on the air. He kneads the muscles in Izaya’s thighs again, his hands slowly massaging closer and closer to his crotch with each squeeze. Izaya whimpers at the inevitable, his legs folding when Shizuo’s fingers wander between them to dip into his discharge and rub the sensitive skin between Izaya’s balls and entrance. Izaya jolts at the sensitive touch and Shizuo hushes him with a soft, “Shhh… there, there.” Izaya is tempted to growl that he’s not a child but he bites his tongue and leans his head back. The humiliation is getting harder and harder to swallow but his body shudders hard with need.

Just when Izaya had thought that Shizuo would be focusing on his crotch, one of the alpha’s hands reach up to slide inside Izaya’s shirt to roll his thumb over a hardening nipple. Izaya gasps in surprise then groans again, biting his lips. He doesn’t like the tease. He just wants this torture to end already. Then he watches as the hand between his legs pulls away. He blinks through his hazy arousal and looks up to see Shizuo bring his wet fingers up to his mouth to lick them clean.

_G-gross…. Ew…._

Izaya cringes at that but he guesses Shizuo really… wants to taste him. He feels sick just knowing that Shizuo wants to lick off his… natural fluids.

There isn’t much time to process and think as Shizuo squeezes and pinches his nipple, again making Izaya jolt. This time, his entire body falls forward as he gasps. It didn’t hurt. Just… his body is so sensitive now. He could feel his cock squirt some more just from that pinch alone and Shizuo again hugs him close, pulling Izaya back into his lap with a “Shhh… it’s okay. It’ll be okay. I’ve got you.”

“S… Shizu-chan…” Izaya whimpers as he looks down and the hand under his shirt is now rolling his nipple again and again, abusing it more than teasing him now. It’s so hard… it makes him feel even more conscious of everything around him. No one’s touched him like this before. And it’s still a strange sensation to have someone make him so aroused.

“Sensitive nipples are a good sign. It just means you’re healthy… I think…” The alpha’s voice rumbles behind him and Izaya wants to roll his eyes at the cheesy line. _N-no, it doesn’t!_ But he can’t argue right now as Shizuo carefully lowers his hand from underneath the shirt. Now both hands join to wrap under his knees. They start to descend together. Down his inner thighs and Izaya helplessly watches as those two large hands squeeze his inner thighs again. At this point, his thighs are so soaked with his fluids the sticky mess is obvious between his legs alongside his pronounced erection. He wants to close his legs together to hide it but Shizuo’s strong hands keep them apart. Izaya swallows hard as Shizuo’s fingers reach their destination, one of them circling the rim of his entrance.

“N-no, S-...!” This finally jolts Izaya into action, violently trying to pull away but Shizuo holds him still. “Okay, okay. I won’t. If you don’t want it.” Shizuo’s voice is thick with need too but as promised, the fingers move away. Then Shizuo’s right hand lets go of Izaya’s thigh completely to wrap his long digits around Izaya’s wet cock instead.

Izaya’s breath hitches as he watches Shizuo stroking his cock up and down with a good, solid grip. Izaya groans. This is so different from touching himself. Shizuo’s thumb swipes over the head before descending down and when Izaya whimpers and tries to close his legs again, that one hand firmly keeps his legs apart, reminding him who’s the alpha in control of their situation. Promises or not, this is what Shizuo wants. And what Shizuo wants, he gets.

By now, Shizuo’s grip is steady and the pace is constant, enticing moans one after another out of Izaya’s throat. He curls forward reflexively and he can feel Shizuo’s cock throbbing against his back. With the way he’s bent forward it’s almost directly against his ass cheeks. Izaya can feel the intimidating size of it clearly even though he can’t see it. Even worse, the bulge clearly indicates that Shizuo’s cock has started to knot even though there’s nothing for him to knot with. Shizuo’s hips jerk once reflexively for friction before he murmurs an apology and is still again. Izaya whimpers and tries to sit up but his legs are weak. He just feels so vulnerable and he hates it. He hates how his heart is pounding fast and his body screams for release. He hates how the inside of his ass itches for something to penetrate him already… and he hates how much he loves the way Shizuo’s hand starts to build speed.

“S-Shizu…. Shizu-chan… I… I’m gonna…”

Shizuo kisses the top of Izaya’s head and tightens his grip on Izaya. “Do it. That’s good, Izaya, that’s really good...”

No, it’s not good. It’s not something Izaya wants, to have his arousal and orgasm on full display for the viewing pleasure of another. But he has no choice as his orgasm approaches and seizes control. He doesn’t remember screaming or violently shuddering as his orgasm explodes. Nor does he remember how Shizuo extends his orgasm as he continues to nurture his cock with steady strokes. It was another mind-blowing experience and Izaya loses consciousness in the middle of it, his body completely satisfied and yet his mind feeling thoroughly violated.

What he does remember is Shizuo holding him close, protectively, his soft voice repeating to him again and again like a lullaby, “You’re doing so good. Good boy. Good boy…”

With the heavy scent of Shizuo in the air, Izaya falls asleep in his alpha’s arms.

* * *

Shizuo lowers Izaya to the bed so he’s lying face-down with Shizuo on top of him, his knees on either side of Izaya’s thighs. Shizuo’s hunched over him, panting, with his own cock in hand and a need for release. He squeezes his half-formed knot hard, groaning and whining like a desperate dog as he looks for any relief.

No one has ever made him knot so fast before. He wasn’t even inside Izaya! But he wants to be. Oh, he wants to fuck Izaya so bad. He wants Izaya to wake up mated and full of his knot and cum. He wants Izaya to wake up squirming in his arms for another round, begging to be fucked again.

But he does not shove his leaking cock into Izaya, no matter how badly he wants to. Later. Another time. When they’re out in the forest together all alone all the time. Izaya won’t ever have to be empty, Shizuo’s strong enough to carry him around on his knot, not that they’ll need to go anywhere.

But not today, not yet. Shizuo can wait.

He drops forward to rest his forehead on Izaya’s back stroking his cock hard and fast over Izaya’s unconscious body, one hand always squeezing his aching knot and the other grinding into the sensitive head of his cock. His eyes devour Izaya like he’s a meal, from his tousled hair, across his slim shoulders, down his graceful back to his delicious ass.

A choked, needy moan is wrenched out of his lips as another little thread of his self-control snaps and he angles his cock down to rub the tip against the small of Izaya’s back as he continues to jerk himself off as fast as he can. He just wants to come and get this over with already. He can’t fuck Izaya yet so dragging it out is torture.

It still takes him far too long to come. Izaya’s back is already slick with Shizuo’s precum by the time his orgasm finally hits him like a truck. Instinctively, he lunges forward to bite a hole in the sheets next to Izaya’s neck rather than give him a mating mark without permission while he comes over Izaya’s back and ass.

Unfortunately… he’s knotted his fist. And even though it probably won’t last as long because he’s not actually inside someone a knot is a knot and… his last a while… and he comes _a lot_ …

Hopefully, Izaya won’t wake up too soon. He squeezes his knot rhythmically, willing it to stop trying to impregnate the fucking air and go away as soon as possible so he can clean Izaya before he wakes up drenched in cum and can wash his sheets. They’re the only set he has and he doesn’t want to ruin them any more than he already has… and he’ll have to sew up this massive hole he just bit into them… again...

At least there’s still a few more hours left in the day before he has to go to work.

* * *

Thankfully, Izaya did stay asleep and Shizuo had plenty of time to clean him and make him all dry and warm again. Shizuo even congratulated himself for not giving into any of his temptations during that process. Not once did he lick Izaya. Well, maybe once or twice… okay, a few times but he didn’t go any further. He tucks Izaya back into his cage carefully in one of his clean shirts that Shizuo had taken the time to make absolutely sure was covered in his scent by rubbing it all over his neck. He wouldn’t want Izaya to be without his scent for a day.

He’s also tightly swaddled Izaya in the softest blanket he has to make sure he feels as though he’s being held throughout his sleep. He’s sure it’s not as effective as that anxiety sweater in the store but it’ll have to do. He gives Izaya a kiss on the forehead as he does every night before crawling back out of the cramped space to lock it up.

Izaya seemed to think there was some truth to what Shizuo had read so that’s more than good enough to convince Shizuo that the book really has some truth to it. Not only is Izaya an actual omega, he’s smart as hell. Way smarter than Shizuo. So if Izaya thinks the book may be right Shizuo will trust it.

So he sits on the floor next to Izaya as he sleeps and decides to spend the rest of his day before work reading. He’s still not comfortable enough with a lot of the information to just do anything without asking Izaya about it. Even if the stuff says would work best when the omega is surprised by it.

As he reads, he comes across a familiar idea. Something Izaya himself had said earlier. Well, almost what Izaya had said. Kinda…

_“It is crucial to an omega’s emotional development to supply them with the best combination of servitude and closeness with their alpha. The most docile and comfortable omegas are permitted to drink their alpha’s semen, fresh, every day. The process is most commonly referred to as ‘milking’ and is a common practice among alphas. However, some alphas fail to understand the importance of allowing their omega to earn their alpha’s sperm daily. Alpha’s who bottle their sperm and allow their omega’s to drink it without the effort required, or in some cases, do not allow their omegas to drink their sperm at all, fail to completely connect with their omegas. The work an omega must put into earning their alpha’s ‘milk’ is both psychologically and intellectually stimulating and can help prevent a particularly intelligent omega from growing bored…_

_… A healthy mind and body are heavily dependent upon one another. Many alpha researchers agree that starting an omega’s morning off with a combination of a calorie rich breakfast and freshly earned semen yields the best results. Alphas should allow their naturally nurturing omegas to care for their alpha’s morning erections as a daily chore. As discussed in earlier chapters, allowing omegas to complete simple tasks and have daily goals is essential to keeping their minds healthy._

_Studies regarding the effectiveness of mixing semen into omega meals remain heavily divided…”_

Shizuo rubs his forehead and takes a break from reading to digest. Izaya had said when they went to buy him a new cage that one with wider bars would allow him to… take care of… Shizuo’s morning wood. Shizuo had never implied he wanted such a thing before and Izaya had been living as a beta until recently. So why would he have gotten that idea unless… maybe this book is right? Maybe this is an omega thing.

And Izaya has been so bored lately. He hasn’t really complained and he’s got books but Shizuo can tell. Izaya’s like… university smart. Ranks and dynamics be damned Izaya isn’t just a ‘particularly intelligent’ omega. Shizuo saw him reading in the library, he can get through whole pages faster than Shizuo can get through complicated sentences. This book says that tasks and this whole ‘milking’ chore are good for an omega’s brain and… yeah, Shizuo’s worried about Izaya’s brain.

What if Izaya gets so bored he figures out a way to escape? Shizuo’s heard stories about octopuses who get bored and escape their tanks just to have problems to solve. Izaya could do the same thing!

Not that the whole ‘milking’ thing sounds like it would mentally challenge Izaya that much but Izaya had said he wanted to suck Shizuo off in the mornings through the bars of his cage himself! He’ll have to talk to Izaya about this and ask him if he really meant what he said in the omega store. The last thing Shizuo wants to do is deprive his omega of something this book says is so basic.

Well, that, and… if Izaya says yes he’ll be inviting Shizuo into his safe space. Not completely but he’d be allowing Shizuo to… _penetrate_ the sanctuary of his cage _every day_ . Shizuo shudders at the idea of Izaya asking him- _needing_  Shizuo to invade his space like that. He imagines how cute Izaya would be. His inexperienced little omega, trying to figure out how to take Shizuo’s cock into his mouth and just the right ways to use his tongue to make him come like solving a puzzle. Drinking down Shizuo’s cum to fill his stomach like it’s a present every day.

Fuck, Shizuo wants to come inside Izaya so bad… his cock twitches in his sweatpants again at the idea and he looks into Izaya’s cage to see him still sleeping peacefully. He thinks about coming home from work just as his beautiful omega is waking up and giving Izaya what he needs. About Izaya hanging off his cock like a hungry baby bird and begging to be filled up. About Izaya eating a big, heavy breakfast so he’s full and happy all the time. Izaya’s belly getting a little swollen with just the right amount of fat to have healthy bab-

Shizuo needs to stop thinking about it. He’s got work in four hours and he needs to sleep before then otherwise he’ll be horny _and_ grumpy when he goes. Not a good combination for him. He decides to put the book down and go splash some water on his face to cool off before trying to get a little sleep

* * *

Izaya is dozing between dreams when he hears the door open and close. Usually, Shizuo is as quiet as possible when he walks in so he doesn’t disturb Izaya’s sleep. This morning, it’s a bit different.

“Yeah, yeah. I know Kasuka, uhuh… Yeah, you wouldn’t believe it but I actually had sushi just the other day too.”

Izaya lays there pretending to sleep while he listens to Shizuo talk to this person named Kasuka. The room is quiet. It’s so quiet that Izaya can hear every single squeak of the wooden floor and all the random street noise outside. But he can’t hear a single sound from the other end of the phone.

“And I met someone… Yeah, it is great, I wish you could meet him, he’s really smart like you…. Hahaha, yeah, I’ll try to remember that, thanks…

… Oh, I understand, you’re busy… I really miss you, you know… Yeah, I know you have to go but… I wish you didn’t.

… I love you.”

Izaya doesn’t hear a single reply. Not even the slightest murmur of someone from the other end of the line. Just another moment of silence before Shizuo hangs up the phone.

Suspicious….

Izaya has several theories on who Kasuka is. First, ex-lover. Second, family member. Third, another variable that he can’t think of at the moment. But there wasn’t anything to indicate anyone was responding to Shizuo at all. No friendly advice that Shizuo would ‘try to remember,’ no ‘I miss you too.’ Nothing. Izaya hopes that Shizuo doesn’t have schizophrenia on top of his all other ongoing problems.

Shizuo pulls some items out of a plastic bag Izaya heard him put on the counter earlier and by the sound of it, one of them is fairly large. Shizuo fumbles with some things, drops one and curses and flips through some paper.

Izaya figures this is about the time he should pretend to wake up.

Izaya rustles and stretches, rubbing his eyes as ‘cutely’ as possible before whispering, “Shizu-chan? Are you home?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m home,” Shizuo calls from the kitchen, his voice sounding hoarse. Izaya can hear him clear his throat before his footsteps get closer and he pokes his head into the bedroom.

“I, uh, I’m sorry for the noise. Did I wake you up?”

“No, it’s fine.” Izaya stretches again and this time, he makes his wrist hit the top of the cage and makes a show of wincing as he rubs the pain away. He also purposefully did not deny that Shizuo had awakened him. He wants Shizuo to feel bad about, it after all. It’s small training, making sure that Shizuo knows to be quiet around him in the future even if it’s probably unnecessary. Shizuo is almost always considerate. A bit too protective but at least, considerate.

“What’s for breakfast?” Izaya’s eyes twinkle as he sits up, giving Shizuo the ‘cue’ that he wants to be out and into the kitchen.

Shizuo flushes deeply and he hesitates before walking over to Izaya’s cage to let him out. Well, that’s new… Izaya wonders what’s going on in Shizuo’s mind this morning. Perhaps something happened at work? No, most likely, it has to do with Shizuo jacking him off a few hours ago. Izaya does not want to remember that embarrassing moment so he moves on.

“N-no breakfast yet,” Shizuo says, oddly flustered about the concept of breakfast. Maybe he’s just remembered what happened after breakfast yesterday. Or perhaps not… Izaya isn’t quite sure yet.

“I was just trying to figure out how to set up this coffee machine… Do you think you can do it?”  

“Of course. It’s easy.” Izaya doesn’t even bother looking at the manual. It’s a simple coffee machine, after all, he’s used it before. He plugs it in and washes the filter cup, the pot and places them all in.   
  
“Did you get some coffee? Also some filter papers? I can make a coffee for two of us… oh, wait. Maybe you don’t want coffee if you plan to sleep right now…”

Shizuo grabs the coffee can he brought Izaya last time as a gift from the cabinet and hands it to Izaya along with some filter paper. Izaya grabs the coffee and he can’t help but smile. It’s actually his favorite brand. It’s a bit expensive so he figured Shizuo would never get one for him. The previous coffee was one of his favorites too, again rather expensive. Not bad.

“Don’t like coffee. This is just for you.”

Izaya looks up at Shizuo in surprise. He bought something just for Izaya. Something Shizuo doesn’t actually like. That’s an interesting development. Which means, perhaps with a bit more tweaking, he can get Shizuo to do more things he doesn’t like for Izaya. At least it’s a start.

“I know you said you liked it so…” Shizuo shrugs. “Coffee is easy. But don’t expect me to get a TV.” He drops today’s newspaper on the counter in front of Izaya.

“Whaaat~ But we have plenty of money for a T.V.” Izaya pouts. But he goes ahead and makes coffee. He takes a deep breath of air when the kitchen starts to flood with the glorious smell he missed so much.

“It’s not about the money. We don’t need a TV… TV rots your brain, you know.”

“No, it doesn’t. That’s a misconception. There’s plenty of researches done that…” Izaya stops himself when he realizes he had slipped into his usual self where he’d banter with Kadota. For several reasons, this is bad. He doesn’t want Shizuo thinking he’s one of those rebellious omegas. Especially a smart rebellious omega. Instead, he drops it.

“Alright.” Izaya sighs and agrees. For now. But he’s already thinking of several ways to make Shizuo change his mind. He can show him other ways that T.V. doesn’t ‘rot’ brains. After that, he’ll suggest he can ‘earn’ it somehow. Either way, he has to convince Shizuo that having a T.V. has more pros than cons.

Shizuo snorts. “Yeah, well I don't exactly have enough brains to lose so I’d rather not risk it. Besides, I'll probably just break it when I get mad so there's no point.”

“...” That’s a loaded sentence. So Shizuo is aware that he’s not the brightest bulb in the room. Well, either way, the effects of coffee on the brain are probably worse than watching T.V., but Izaya is NOT telling him that!

“So… what’s your favorite thing to have for breakfast?” Shizuo asks, eyeing Izaya strangely.

“Uh, me?” Izaya’s caught off guard briefly as he’s still pondering how to solve the TV predicament. “Just coffee normally… but a healthy Japanese breakfast is better right?” Izaya answers honestly first but then quickly adds the second part, thinking it’s something Shizuo would like to hear. Actually, he usually skips breakfast.

“But do you ever want.. More? Something more to fill you up? Breakfast is an important first meal of the day and… it’s better to be more nutritious..”

“I… don’t understand.” which is true. Izaya knows Shizuo is trying to go somewhere with this but is uncertain ‘where’ exactly Shizuo is trying to lead him. What is even more nutritious than a healthy, traditional, Japanese style breakfast anyway?

Shizuo starts to ramble much like he did when talking about training earlier. “Well, I mean I was reading- I remember you saying before and it got me thinking that maybe-...” Shizuo pauses and stares at a wall, appearing to be deep in thought. Izaya waits, knowing by now that Shizuo sometimes needs time to reorganize his thoughts when he’s trying to figure out a way to say what he wants more delicately.

“Did you mean it when you said you want to blow me through the bars of your cage?”

Izaya almost spits, luckily he isn’t drinking his freshly brewed coffee. Okay. So not very delicate this time.

“I… umm…!” Well, Izaya did plant that seed too. He DID want to bring it up eventually, but Shizuo’s acting very fast. Too fast for Izaya’s pace but it would only make sense that Shizuo’s been thinking about sex all day, every single waking moment _and_ in his dreams since he’s met Izaya.

“Umm… y-yeah…” Izaya feels his cheeks burn as he nods.

Shizuo lunges forward to take both of Izaya’s hands in his own, looking very flustered but still very serious.

“Really? You meant that? Izaya, I’m _so_ sorry! I thought you were just messing with me!”

“N-no? I… I wouldn’t do that.” Izaya lies through his teeth while being very confused. Shizuo’s chest is huffing and puffing, his breath hot and heavy, his eyes, wild. Izaya had no idea that idea was some dream kinky fantasy for Shizuo until now.  

“I was reading some more because I want to take better care of you and I came across this thing that I thought was ridiculous at first but then I remembered what you had said about wanting to do that,” Shizuo says almost too quickly for Izaya to follow. “The book said that I’m supposed to let you do that. Why didn’t you tell me you needed that if you knew?”

“????????????????????????????????????????????” Izaya’s expression is full of question marks. Wait, what? Did some book say that it’s an omega’s ultimate dream to give a handjob every morning to morning wood or something? He wouldn’t be surprised if some idiot alpha made up that theory, actually.

“W-what did the book say exactly?” Izaya decides to ask a bit more cautiously in hopes of getting a bit more clear answer.

“That I’m supposed to let you suck me off in the morning. It said it’s good for omega health and our relationship to let you drink… let you swallow my cum. Along with a big breakfast.”

Izaya gaps at him in disbelief. Of course, it did. Of course, some self-important, egotistic, control-freak alpha decided to write that in a book and publish it as a fact. It’s astounding that Shizuo could say that with a straight face.

“I… no. Wait. Ummm… no.” Izaya backs off a bit but he can’t since he is already leaning against the kitchen counter. “W-what I meant was… I mean… I’m….” Izaya flushes just thinking about it. “I’m.... feeling a bit too shy.” Which is _NOT UNTRUE_ right now. It makes Izaya’s cheeks burn again at the idea. Not to mention, looking down at Shizuo’s pants, that ‘thing’ was huge! He wouldn’t be surprised if it was larger than a horse’s dick! More like an elephant’s trunk!

Shizuo frowns a bit in confusion. “Oh. Okay, but… it’s good for you, right? Tomorrow then? You’ve been okay but… if that’s what your body needs I want you to have it.”

“....” It looks as if it is unavoidable for Izaya to suck this man’s dick at this point. And he’s mentally not prepared for this ordeal. He swallows. To convince Shizuo that the book is incorrect would be really difficult, seeing how excited he is. Not to mention the fact that Izaya just validated it. If this eventually will occur in the future, Izaya would prefer to gain something from it. In that case…

Izaya looks to the side as he thinks a bit before meeting Shizuo’s eyes.

“Fine. But I want a T.V. in return.” It’s not that he really particularly wants a T.V. It’s just that he wants to find out where Shizuo will draw the line. How much of his lifestyle he’s willing to change for Izaya.

Seeing Shizuo’s expression, Izaya quickly adds, “I won’t watch it for hours until our brains ‘rot’, as you put it. Besides, information channels on T.V. are stimulating to the mind. And more importantly, the saying ‘T.V. is bad for your brain.’ is something parents made up to tell their kids. It’s an old wives’ tale and holds no basis scientifically.”

Shizuo’s frown deepens as though he doesn’t understand. “Izaya, I… wouldn’t this be for you? I’m not trying to buy sexual favors, I’m trying to take care of you.”

“Well, I don’t want it.” Izaya pouts. “I don’t even know how to do it anyway… I’ve never done one. G-given one, I mean.” Izaya blurts out and flushes hard. Okay, he didn’t have to add that, why the hell did he say that part?!!

“Izaya, you’re not a kid,” Shizuo growls. “I’m not a parent trying to bribe his kid to eat their vegetables. You said that you needed to. How about a radio instead?”

“No.” Izaya puts his foot down and draws his line in the sand. “I don’t want a radio. I want a T.V. And if I’m not your kid and you’re not my parent, but you’re my alpha providing for me, then I really, firmly suggest, we have a T.V..” He huffs and folds his arms again, looking up at Shizuo almost defiantly. The most rebellious Izaya’s ever been, not counting that time he broke out f the apartment.He also adds a much cuter pout. “And if you really want me to do it without getting me a TV you’re going to have to break your promise and force me.”

Shizuo growls as though he’s going to try and intimidate Izaya but he cuts himself off and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before stepping back. Izaya hears Shizuo counting backward from ten, mumbling as though he doesn’t realize he’s talking out loud.

“Fine, I’ll get you a TV.  But I’m going to get you some other things to do and you’ve got to do those when you’re bored too.”

“?????” Again Izaya stares at Shizuo blankly. Why the hell is this man ordering him how to spend his free time again? _Ugh, alphas_.

“Alright.” Izaya decides to agree with a pout. But. He got a T.V. Wow.  So Shizuo _can_ fold and do things he doesn’t like if Izaya can somehow convince him. Other than that time with the jeweler, this is at least the second time Izaya had seen Shizuo give in, and it’s…

Izaya’s mind freezes up when he hears Shizuo’s fingers rustling around his pants and take off his belt.

Oh my god, does he want to give him milk NOW of all times?

Izaya leans even further away from Shizuo, feeling trapped as the alpha leans forward, one hand on the kitchen counter, his hardening cock between Izaya’s legs, his chest panting more roughly. Their eyes meet and Izaya can see the hunger back in Shizuo’s.

“And you’re going to start having more than coffee for breakfast, got it?”

And Izaya knows, there is no going back after this.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love all our readers and reviewers! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	13. Chapter 13

 

Izaya takes a slow breath as he looks down without moving his head. That cock is… huge between Shizuo’s thighs, already semi-hard. Shizuo never seems to need much for him to get hard. Izaya hesitates.

“On your knees.”

It’s a simple command, but it makes Izaya’s blood race and his breathing irregular. He doesn’t dare look up at Shizuo’s face.

A hand is placed on his shoulder and Izaya feels himself being pushed down. He is then forced to kneel and is at eye level with the half erect cock before him. He bites his lower lip in contemplation. He could say no. He could… back out.  

“Are you going to do it?” There’s a hint of annoyance in his voice as well as impatience. Izaya takes several deep breaths, his heart pounding madly as he leans forward a bit and raises his hand carefully to grab a hold of Shizuo’s base.

He’s ….never touched another man’s cock before. Not even Kadota’s. Of _course_ not Kadota’s, that’s his friend!  They aren’t _like_ that. But if Izaya were ever to be in any relationship before, it would most likely have been with him and…

“I… don’t know how to do it. I’ve never done it before.” Izaya admits softly, forcing his cheeks not to burn so much. He feels like an inexperienced and naive child despite being an adult.

“I didn’t ask if you knew how to, I asked if you were going to. Yes or no?” Shizuo’s hand on his shoulders is firm and keeps him on his knees. But he isn’t pushing Izaya forward. He hasn’t moved to try to physically force Izaya to touch him.

“....Yes.” Izaya closes his eyes. Fine, whatever. He needs this man to be infatuated with him and he can’t let his own inexperience get in the way, nor his pride.

He leans forward with his tongue out and lightly licks the tip.

Shizuo shivers slightly and tips forward over Izaya. He lets Izaya’s shoulder go to brace his hand on the kitchen counter above Izaya’s head. Not only does Izaya feel trapped, he _is_ very much trapped. He takes another lick, and then another, swiping his tongue again and again just at the tip.

Shizuo’s cock twitches up in interest but he’s still not fully hard yet. Izaya remembers Shizuo has been with other people. Several people must have gladly sucked off his dick like it’s some delicious candy so this isn’t working for him at all. But Izaya can feel Shizuo’s piercing gaze on him, which makes him even more afraid to meet his eyes.

Izaya tries to think. W-what else can he do? Right… the hands. He uses the hand around the base of Shizuo’s cock to stroke him. Shizuo’s is… meaty and thick. The veins throb and he trails his fingertip along it in curiosity. He feels Shizuo let out a hot breath and the blond’s hand lifts to brush through Izaya’s hair, pushing his bangs back.

“You know what feels good for you, right? It’s not so different. The head and just under the ridge are the most sensitive, and I like a lot of… pressure. Just focus on using your hands and licking, for now, you’re doing good.”

Guess this i a bad time to let Shizuo know, Izaya rarely masturbates. Which, again, is another reason why he thought he was a beta, he had no appetite for sex. He lets out another anxious breath, wondering why he got himself into this mess before he lifts the cock up a bit to lick the underside. He hears Shizuo groan softly, the grip on Izaya’s hair tightening briefly as his cock hardens in Izaya’s hands before he relaxes his hold again and starts to pet Izaya gently. That doesn’t feel bad. If he was a ‘good’ omega, he would be purring right now but the taste and the ‘act’ of doing this is still too revolting for Izaya to swallow. He wishes he could wash his tongue with soap right now.

Still, Izaya strokes Shizuo’s cock firmly as he uses both hands. He swipes around the length with his tongue, remembering to lick the underside and the head as well as the throbbing vein. He removes his fingers to swipe down to the base and the pubic hair tickles his nose. He lifts the fat cock again to lick the testicles and see if Shizuo likes that too. The grunt suggests to Izaya that he does.

He knows he’s supposed to suck it, eventually. But everything is too big. The dumb length is big, the thickness is big, and he is pretty sure this can’t fit in his mouth or his ass. He can’t quite wrap his head around how to go about doing this and how the hell Shizuo was able to fuck other bedmates.

“You’re doing really good.” Shizuo encourages softly, petting Izaya as if that’s going to make Izaya feel better. “Try to get the head in your mouth and suck on it.”

The head? Already? He hasn’t even sucked on...the balls. Izaya cringes. He doesn’t want to suck on any of this. His hands trembling, he tries to lower the cock to suck on it and realizes, he can’t. The cock is rock hard solid. God, he must be horny right now.

Izaya straightens up on his knees so he can mouth the tip. The head is a mouthful.

“W-watch the teeth.”

Oops, Izaya realizes he forgot about the teeth. Well, it’s his fault for having such a huge cock to suck on. He tries to open his mouth even more and he’s not sure what he can do about the teeth. It’s not like he can wrap his lips around them. Still, he tries sucking on the tip.

An ooze of precum lands on Izaya’s tongue and it makes Izaya cringe.

“Y-you have a really small mouth…” Shizuo breathes out, barely suppressed excitement in his tone. Well, no shit. More like it’s his cock that’s extraordinary. With a small mouth and this gigantic elephant trunk, Izaya isn’t sure how much he can swallow. On top of that, he doesn’t like the taste of precum but he makes himself swallow anyway. He slurps at it, unsure about what to do next, then he tries licking it again.

“This… is going nowhere.” Izaya pulls out. How the hell is he supposed to _suck him off and milk him dry?_ ’

Shizuo tightens his grip on Izaya’s hair and doesn’t let him go too far.

“No, no, you’re doing good. Just keep sucking and try using your tongue in the slit. And use your hands too.” Shizuo breaths heavier as he intensely watches him. Izaya can feel the weight of it still without looking up.

The slit? Izaya didn’t think about that. He swallows the cock again, only a few inches inside his mouth and then concentrates on the slit, licking it again and again. He starts moving his hands faster, trying to cover what his mouth can’t.

Shizuo moans, his breathing finally picking up as more precum drips out onto Izaya’s tongue. He sucks and drinks it as it squirts out little by little, like a leaky faucet.

“Tighter,” Shizuo breathes. “Tighten your grip.”

Izaya does that, trying to make it tight. Shizuo must like to fuck tight pussies, Izaya thinks to himself as he does so. He needs to know what Shizuo likes and how he likes it for future reference. Although Izaya is mildly concerned for his future as an indentured slave or sex slave, he needs all the information he can use as ammunition.

Feeling a bit braver, Izaya tries to swallow further, deeper, trying to see how much of this cock he can swallow. He starts inching a bit closer, gagging when the tip of the head touches the roof of his mouth. As he rubs and runs his hands down the length, Izaya can feel a small bump forming, the starting of a knot.

“You’re so cute…” Shizuo says between gulps of breath, chuckling a bit. “Your cheeks are so full.”

Ah, Izaya didn’t even notice but they are. He had tried his best to see if he could take in most of Shizuo’s cock and …

Izaya cringes as he swallows the best he can. Now the tip of the cock is brushing against the back of his throat. He wants to pull out so he does.

“I… I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I can make you come this way.” Izaya replies almost regretfully. Or at least, he gives his most _regretful_ sounding voice, even though he’s just desperately trying to get out of this situation.

“Here, let me… help.”

Then, to Izaya’s shock, the hand on his head jerks him forward, telling him to suck again. Now with two of Shizuo’s hands on the back of his head, Izaya has no choice to open his mouth and allow the assailant inside him again. This time, Shizuo orders, “just keep your mouth open and your jaw slack for me.”

Without any further regards, Shizuo starts thrusting.

“Mmmfff…!” Izaya gags a bit but not to the point he’d throw up. The cock didn’t actually thrust inside him all the way. It’s as if Shizuo’s measuring the inside of his mouth, how deep he can go with a few thrusts in a few different directions. That is the weirdest feeling; having someone use their cock as a measuring tool for his mouth.

Then Shizuo starts to move in and out of his mouth in a more leisurely manner, his grunts getting heavier and longer.

“That...there. Good. Suck on it a bit more… use your tongue… like that.”

Shizuo’s words aren’t very helpful but Izaya does his best not to choke as he moves his tongue around the cock that’s ravishing his mouth for its selfish pleasure.

“Yeah. Like that. Good boy. You’re doing really good today.”

Izaya feels like a dog as the cock slides in and out, fucking him in a way he’s never even imagined before. A few times the thrusts are so rough Izaya’s head is banged against the kitchen cabinets. Shizuo quickly apologizes and cushions the back of Izaya’s head with his hands, but he doesn’t slow down. He’s starting to develop a huge knot. A knot that’s so large, it’s blocking most of Izaya’s view forward.

Swallowing the best he can, Izaya feels sick as the precum starts squirting out more and more. Drool forms around his lips and his hands are pushing on Shizuo’s hip reflexively, trying to make him thrust less forceful but it’s useless against Shizuo’s strength and passion.

“Aahhh you’re… you’re absolutely perfect, I’m already… I can’t last long if it’s you…”

Izaya can’t last much longer either. He cringes and can feel tears stinging his eyes. It’s starting to hurt and Izaya starts choking. The tip of the head is starting to bruise the back of his throat when Shizuo is too reckless with his thrusts. He swallows again and again but there’s just too much precum and saliva. He’s drooling all over himself as the hot, throbbing cock uses him.

“So pretty…” Shizuo murmurs when he sees Izaya tearing up. “I want you to swallow, okay? I need you to swallow like the good boy you are.” Shizuo continues to speak nonsense as Izaya now uses both his hands to try to push back. His head continues to bang against the kitchen counter but it’s mostly protected by Shizuo’s hands, in rhythm with the squirting sound his mouth is making.

“Mmff…! Mmmfnnnfff..!!” Izaya tries to protest but it’s no use with Shizuo’s excitement and him so close to orgasm. The omega gets no warning except Shizuo’s grip tightening around his head and a thrust that is so deep that it goes down to his throat, choking him as it blocks his air pipe.

Then he comes. Hard. The hot cum floods his throat first and he’s forced to swallow. Then it overflows all over his mouth and out of his nose as well. Shizuo pulls out only to spray more onto Izaya’s face and drenching him with his cum. Izaya starts coughing and heaving, trying to breathe in fresh air and smelling nothing but Shizuo’s disgusting cum.

“S-Shizu…!” Izaya chokes and coughs some more, his chest heaving…. He feels awful. It’s all churning horribly in his stomach…

But Shizuo keeps coming because of his knot, covering Izaya in hot, thick cum, now dripping down his neck. The splatter continues down, showering and soaking the front of Izaya as well. Izaya can only be grateful that Shizuo didn’t knot his mouth. He tries to keep it all down, he really does.

And then he retches the cum onto the kitchen floor that’s making him so sick.

Shizuo goes pale at the sight and his knot instantly deflates, an entire fifteen minutes earlier than it normally would, at least. He immediately crouches to the floor in front of Izaya, petting his cum-soaked hair and trying uselessly to wipe his face clean over and over again with his hands.

“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I was too rough! I didn’t mean to, I just… I lost control. I wasn’t myself just then. I’m sorry.” Shizuo apologizes over and over, carefully picking Izaya up off the floor and bringing him to the bathroom - leaving the mess on the floor to tend to the mess he made of Izaya.

Shizuo sits Izaya on the sink, “That was too much, that was way too much.” He fusses, holding Izaya’s face in his hands and kissing his forehead. _If he is going to fuss this much, he should have been more careful, to begin with._ Izaya cringes as he wipes away the tears on his face with the back of his hand.

“Shhh… here. Let me take care of you...” Shizuo gets the cleanest rag he can find and wets it to wipe the cum, drool and tears from Izaya’s face as gently as possible. Izaya hugs Shizuo and leans into his shoulder, trembling. He isn’t sure why he’s shaking so much. He just...is.

“There, there… it’s okay, you’re okay, you’re okay...” Shizuo pats him on the shoulder and hugs him back. He sounds like he’s trying to reassure himself just as much as he’s trying to comfort Izaya. It’s like giving him medicine right after giving him the exact headache he’s caused. But the pats and rubs on his back calm Izaya down, the scent of heavy arousal and protective pheromones are making him drowsy too.

When Izaya snuggles closer to Shizuo, that’s when they both feel it. Izaya glances down in shock at his own arousal poking at Shizuo’s thigh.

No way. Absolutely not. H-how in the world is he… _hard?_!

Shizuo flushes red, confused but also looking rather relieved. He picks up Izaya like a baby in need of tucking and kisses his cheek.

“I can take care of that too.”

And try as he might, Izaya knows he can’t refuse this one.

* * *

Shizuo’s head is an absolute mess of uncertainty. It didn’t seem like Izaya had liked it at all and it had made him sick when it was supposed to be good for him so Shizuo was convinced he had done something horrible. But if Izaya’s hard it can’t have been that bad. It might have even been okay. Right?

He tucks Izaya’s face into his neck during the short walk to his bed. He’ll be sure to bathe Izaya soon but right now Izaya needs to come. And he’s going to come smelling heavily of Shizuo.

He carefully fluffs the one pillow up against the headboard before laying Izaya down so he’s leaning against the headboard. He smoothes Izaya’s sticky hair and kisses both of his cheeks before opening the front of Izaya’s pants and tugging them down down his hips.

“I’ll take care of you. Watch me, okay?” Shizuo’s given head before. Now is probably a good time to teach Izaya how to do it. Maybe he should have given the lesson before he cornered him in the kitchen like a horny dog...

He pulls off Izaya’s underwear too but doesn’t bother with the shirt. He takes Izaya’s already hard cock in hand and gives it a few strokes.

“S-Shizu-chan.” Izaya’s voice wavers anxiously.

“Shhh, don’t worry, it’ll be okay. Watch. I’ll show you how to give a head.” Shizuo soothes Izaya by peppering his face with more kisses before diving down between Izaya’s legs, his mouth already watering from Izaya’s smell mixing with his own and how pretty he is.

Shizuo starts by licking up the length of Izaya’s cock from base to tip but is interrupted by Izaya’s legs closing around his head as Izaya tries to shy away from him.

Shizuo spreads his legs again easily.

“You don’t need to be shy, Izaya, you’re beautiful, okay? Just relax and let me make you feel good.”

He keeps Izaya’s legs parted with a hand on each thigh. Hands were going to be part of the lesson but he can’t have Izaya getting shy on him again.

“S-Shizu-chan, I-I don’t think…. This is a good idea.” Izaya’s breath is going ragged to match his strained voice, his hands are on Shizuo’s blond locks, trying to push him away. His soft cheeks are flushed in the cutest rosy blush.

Shizuo frowns up at Izaya in confusion. “Why not? It won’t hurt, I promise.”

He can barely feel Izaya trying to push his head away and he wants to disregard it so bad. Izaya’s right there. And he looks so delicious. He’s drooling like a dog for Izaya.

“I-it’s not being in pain that I’m worried...about… _Nnngh_ ….”

“What could you be worried about?” Shizuo leans forward, drawn to the magnetic pull of Izaya’s tantalizing scent despite the hands tugging on his hair. If anything, the hair pulling makes him more excited. He nuzzles into the hair at Izaya’s crotch and breathes in deeply. “Please, I don’t want you to have to feel anything like worry ever again…”

Izaya just hesitates and doesn’t answer, as usual. “I… I don’t think this is a good idea. It makes me feel weird.”

Shizuo chuckles at such a cute, childish answer. “Weird? Izaya, that’s a _good_ weird feeling. Haven’t you touched yourself here before?”

“I…. oh god…” Izaya shudders hard as Shizuo puffs out a hot breath and licks Izaya’s balls into his mouth as though they’re some kind of delicacy.

“ _Haaa…. Hnnnngh_ …” Izaya gasps in response, a small squirt dripping out from those few licks alone.

Shizuo gives his balls one hard suck and rolls them around in his mouth with his tongue. He wants to lick lower to eat Izaya out but… he also wants to show Izaya how to blow him. He’ll rim Izaya a little later.

He licks up to the tip of Izaya’s cock again to swipe his tongue over the head, greedy for the taste.

“S… Shizuo… oh god… S-Shizuo…” Izaya’s grip on Shizuo’s hair tightens. He’s not using that silly nickname anymore and Shizuo swells with pride and excitement. He’ll have Izaya speechless soon but for now, he relishes in the sound of Izaya calling his full name.

He sucks the tip into his mouth and swallows Izaya in a rush of excitement for more. He was planning to tease Izaya and really show off what he can do but Izaya makes him feel so impatient. Shizuo just wants to swallow him up as soon as possible. The tease of precum just made him greedy for more. He keeps his jaw slack and his throat relaxed and is able to deep-throat Izaya almost easily, swallowing around him eagerly. He knows Izaya probably can’t do this just from Shizuo’s example and that it’ll take practice but they have time. They have the rest of their lives. Shizuo will make sure of it.

Izaya’s legs close around him again and this time it’s not to keep him out. Izaya’s toes curl around the sheets and he’s holding back his orgasm as long as he can. “S-Shizuo… aaahn… aaah… nnngh… I… aaah…!!” His fingers curl around Shizuo’s hair and he’s drooling, his eyes half closed. He doesn’t seem to be able to learn much at all like this.

Shizuo lets Izaya wrap his thighs around his head and lets go of his legs to eagerly wrap his arms around Izaya’s waist, hugging him close as he hums around Izaya and bobs his head, hollowing his cheeks trying to make Izaya come.

“I… I’m gonna… I’m gonna come…!”

Shizuo bobs his head faster, spurred on by those words. He swallows Izaya a few more times and tries to take him deeper into his throat… Only he can’t. Because he’s already swallowed Izaya to the base, his nose buried in pubic hair. He digs his tongue into the slit to lick up the leaking precum there, trying to coax more out.

“ _Haa-aaah!! Aaahhh!_!!” Izaya’s legs tighten around his head and his fingers yank on Shizuo’s hair as he comes, flooding Shizuo’s mouth. Shizuo drinks it all down greedily but to be fair Shizuo comes way more than Izaya, so of course, there isn’t much of a comparison. He sucks a few more times after Izaya’s done, trying to drag his orgasm out.

“ _Hnnngh_ …! S… Shizu…. S-stop… oh god... Aaah… I… I just came… aaah…!”

Shizuo’s still greedy for more but he lets Izaya’s softening cock fall from his mouth… only to go back to licking it, just to make sure he got every last drop. He licks all the way down to Izaya’s balls again… just to be sure. He has to keep cleaning Izaya because he keeps drooling all over him.

Izaya flops back, panting hard and exhausted. With Izaya gone limp Shizuo reluctantly pulls back but not before peppering kisses all over the insides of Izaya’s thighs. He wants to put mating marks there as soon as possible. Maybe Izaya will let him next time.

He moves back up Izaya’s body to kiss his forehead and cheeks again, not minding the residual mess at all.

“Mmm… maybe I should be the one sucking you off every day… can I?”

“............................................No!” Izaya jerks awake from his drowsiness in complete shock before he tries to save what he just blurted out. “I… I mean… i-in moderation?”

Shizuo blinks and feels disappointment start to weigh down on him hard. He gathers Izaya into his arms to cuddle him, mostly because _Shizuo_ needs to cuddle.

“Oh…. was it that bad?” Shizuo asks quietly. He didn’t think he was that bad. No other guys have complained before but maybe they were just all trying to spare his feelings...

“No-no! It… it was good.” Izaya flushes. “T-too good. I… I’m so tired now, I need sleep. It-it just takes a lot out of me.”

Shizuo immediately relaxes, completely relieved. “Oh, okay. I understand. You probably don’t want to sleep every day away.” He smiles down at Izaya warmly and brushes his hair out of his face.

“Do you want a bath first? Or just sleep?”

“I…” Izaya pauses as if to think. “I think bath… I’m hungry but I stin… I mean I kind of… smell.” Izaya chuckles sheepishly.

Shizuo kisses the top of Izaya’s head and pulls Izaya’s underwear back up before sitting him up straight.

“Okay, I’ll make you something to eat while you bathe. Just relax and feel better… I’m sorry I was so rough on you. That wasn’t how that was supposed to go.”

“Mmm.” Izaya just nods and closes his eyes, leaning forward to feel his head rest on Shizuo’s shoulder.

Shizuo carries Izaya back to the bathroom and starts to heat some water for him. He wants to sleep and bathe too but he needs to care for Izaya first and clean the kitchen.

* * *

 - Later That Night - 

 

Izaya flips through the channels with the remote control inside his cage. It’s irritating to try to make out actual words between the static sounds of the small, junky T.V. that Shizuo managed to find at some thrift store, probably. Without cable, Izaya has a channel for news, infomercial and more news between five other channels of static.

After few minutes, Izaya throws the remote against the wall and blankets himself with regret for the rest of the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love all our readers and reviewers! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	14. Chapter 14

Shizuo’s shift for the day is over but today he’s taken a short detour from his usual path home to return some older library books he had gotten about birds. He places them in the shoot from the outside of the brick building and lets them slide inside. Normally he’d go in to get out some new books but he still has all those books on omegas to go through. But after last night… he’s even less sure about them. Izaya hadn’t said they were wrong, but he had gotten sick. It could have easily been inexperience but Shizuo’s not sure he’s enough of an alpha to keep pushing and make him experienced if he hates it. He’s trying really hard not to abuse or neglect Izaya but it feels like he can’t do anything right.

He sighs and lingers outside the library to light up a cigarette. He’s been smoking a lot less since he met Izaya but he still does it when he’s particularly stressed. He’s tempted to go in and talk to Vorona about it because she’s smart like Izaya but straight-forward, however, he’s not sure she’d have good advice. Having no personal experience she’d probably just tell him what the books say.

He’s in the middle of taking another drag of his cigarette when he’s interrupted by shouting on a nearby street corner.

It’s a group of people in masks, wearing scent blockers that cover their necks and pour out a perfume specifically designed to confuse the nose. It’s so thick in the air that it’s suffocating and even Shizuo has a hard time telling what their dynamics are. He coughs and covers his sensitive nose with his sleeve as he steps closer to hear what they’re saying. He thinks they might be protestors. They’re shouting through a megaphone about… omegas?

“ - Omegas are not stupid and weak by nature! Alphas keep omegas separate and uneducated for control! Omegas are kept from having a voice and are oppressed because alphas know we can be just as strong! Omegas: Your alphas are afraid of you, that is why they keep you isolated and in cages! Join us and together we shall rise! This fight is about more than our individual independence, it is about life itself!”

Oh, the omega rebellions. Shizuo had seen a report about it on the bar’s TV a few weeks ago but he’s never bothered to take more than a glance. His burning nose tells him that the protestors are a good mix of dynamics, including alphas and uncollared omegas. The masks they are all wearing have the omega symbol on them and many of the signs they are carrying have them as well. Across the street from the Omega Rights Activists, there is a growing mass of counter-protesters shouting profanity and derogatory things at the activists. There are even some people shouting quotes from religious texts that are meant to prove omega inferiority.

Shizuo wonders, if Izaya was free to leave his apartment, would he be protesting right now? Would he be in the group being threatened?

_ All the more reason to get as far away from everyone as possible,  _ Shizuo thinks as he turns away from it all. The world is an absolute chaos of political discourse and it’s no place for his omega. Keeping Izaya safe with him is his number one priority, all these other issues will sort themselves out. And if they don’t, Shizuo plans to be so far away that they’ll never find out whatever happens to the rest of the world anyway.

It takes him several tries to unlock his apartment. He’s practically dragging his feet inside.

“Izaya, I’m home.” He says too softly for Izaya to hear him. He sounds exhausted even to his own ears.

He wants to stop thinking about all the bad in the world and just focus on Izaya but something inside him won’t shut up about it.

_ Remember when that omega’s father came up to you in that fast-food restaurant? _

_ Yes. _

_ He smelled like fear and desperation. He was begging you, a total stranger, to accept his omega daughter as a mate because he was afraid of her being taken and put in a house. Do you remember what he said? _

_ I remember. _

_ What did he say? _

_ He said he could feel it… he could feel that I was safe. _

_ Then what happened? _

_ I said no and… and he said that only made him more sure he could trust me with her. He begged me to take her because he was just a low ranking beta and she was going to have her first heat soon. Any alpha with command ability could... _

_ And why did you say no? _

_ Because… I was disgusted by it. By everything. I wanted to leave it all behind, I still want to leave everything, everyone. I only wanted to stay in the city when I had… _

There’s too much noise and Shizuo wants to drown it all out. Shizuo reaches into his pocket and pulls out his old flip phone.

“Hey, Kasuka, sorry to bother you. Is it a bad time?”

… 

“I’ve just had a long day... I miss you.”

…..

“I’ll be okay. I don’t want to worry you, I just… I wish you were here. You always knew how to make sense of things.”

……..

_ When did you stop knowing right from wrong? _

“... I think I’m letting too many people get into my head.”

Shizuo flips the phone shut and lets it fall out of his hand onto the floor. He looks at Izaya again who appears to still be fast asleep. Either Izaya’s a heavy sleeper… or he’s scared.

Shizuo looks away from Izaya to see the remote for the TV lying on the floor by the wall at least a meter away from Izaya’s cage. There’s a scuff on the wall and the batteries for it have fallen out. Shizuo can guess how it got there but he’s not sure why.

He looks over to the stack of books he had gotten for Izaya alongside the TV. Three puzzle books of varying difficulty and a calculus textbook. The pile appears to be in the same order as how he left it, looking entirely ignored.

… But Shizuo knows better. He takes the first book off the top and flips through it. It’s completely solved.

So is the next book. And the one after that. All of them are solved and all the calculus practice problems are done. All in one night.

Shizuo swallows hard and puts the books down, not bothering to arrange them as carefully as Izaya had to make them appear untouched. 

He looks at Izaya for a long time. He’s not sure that he ever knew right from wrong.

* * *

 

_ Izaya’s purring in his sleep and stretched diagonally across the futon on their loft, taking up as much space as possible as he’s warmed by the sun from the window in the roof for his early afternoon nap. It’s winter now, and their tiny house doesn’t have heat. But it’s small, well insulated, and has plenty of windows to make it sun-warmed enough to keep it comfy. Plus, the heat rises, so their loft is nice and toasty. _

_ Izaya always takes up far too much space for a person of his size and Shizuo’s pretty sure 70% of it is his ego alone, but Shizuo doesn’t mind. He thinks Izaya’s more bratty nature is cute. He’s been trying to busy himself on this slow day by practicing his wood carving. He’s finally gotten to try it now that he has so much free time. He’s not very good yet and he always breaks it when he starts making progress but he hasn’t given up yet. He’s trying to make Izaya a present. At first, he wanted to make him a bird because Izaya’s like one. A really expensive, pretty bird that never shuts up.  _

_ But he figured out a bird was going to be a bit too difficult for his first carving so he’s trying to make a spoon instead. _

_ It’s just hard to concentrate when Izaya’s sleeping just a meter above his head while he sits in their chair on the ground floor. Izaya keeps making all these cute little chirping sounds and moaning softly in his sleep. Like he’s trying to get Shizuo to climb up there. _

_ And why shouldn’t he? They’re mates, after all. _

_ He drops the half-formed spoon, climbs the ladder and crawls over Izaya’s sleeping form. He noses into the bright mating marks that sit high on Izaya’s neck first, taking in the familiar scent and taste of his mate that will never grow stale. Izaya purrs louder and bares his neck for Shizuo in his sleep. He doesn’t need to be conscious to know. It’s just instinct. It’s just natural for them to be together. _

_ Shizuo slides his hands under Izaya’s long, plush sweater to feel the softness of his warm body under his hands for the millionth time and he’s as excited as ever that he’s going to get to feel it at least a billion times more. Izaya normally doesn’t wear much, if anything, and is only wearing the sweater because of the season. _

_ Of course, he’s not wearing anything underneath the sweater. That would be pointless. Izaya hardly ever leaves this loft, much less their home. Even when he does, there’s no one around for miles. Pants would just get in the way and they’re only good for the fun of taking them off or, god forbid, Izaya having to go outside when it’s chilly.  _

_ He pushes up Izaya’s sweater to nuzzle up underneath it. It’s nice and warm and it smells so good. Izaya now smells a mixture of himself and Shizuo, a blend that pleases the alpha. _

_ His hands drift further down Izaya’s body to massage his thighs as Izaya arches into his touch and sighs happily under him. Shizuo’s hands move over the curve of his upper thighs to dip down between his legs. Finally, Izaya stirs awake under him with a heated breath. _

_ “Sorry to wake you…” Shizuo whispers and comes out from under the comfort of Izaya’s sweater to look at him, rubbing Izaya’s inner thighs and his growing cock gently. _

_ Izaya moans and mumbles something incomprehensible beneath him, still straddling the line between sleep and consciousness. _

_ “Did you sleep well?” Shizuo asks softly. Izaya’s always slept a lot, ever since they first met. _

_ Izaya’s eyes are barely open now and he blinks slowly. It takes Izaya a little while to respond, still slow with sleep. _

_ “Mmmm, Shizuo.... I’m thirsty…” _

_ A demand as soon as he wakes up. That’s Izaya alright. _

_ “Of course, I’ll get you some water.” Shizuo offers, removing his hands from Izaya’s body and kissing his cheek as he prepares to climb back down the ladder. _

_ “Nooo…” Izaya whines, grabbing Shizuo’s shirt to stop him before he can get far. “I want milk…” _

_ “Ah,” Shizuo relaxes and combs through Izaya’s messy hair with his fingers. _

_ Izaya tries to sit up but all he really manages to do is roll himself over and stretch like a cat. He looks over his shoulder at Shizuo, his half-lidded gaze heavy with desire. Izaya reaches out to him and gropes his thigh. He’s trying to reach further up to Shizuo’s quickly hardening cock but he can’t reach and all he’s managed to do about that is squirm in place uselessly. _

_ “Give me it… I want it now.” _

_ “Hello to you too,” Shizuo chuckles. But he can’t really complain. _

_ With practice and a lot of determination on Izaya’s part, he finally learned how to suck Shizuo off properly and he even craves it, just like what the book said. _

_ Izaya whines and weakly kicks his legs a few times like the brat he is, trying to get his way. And it works on Shizuo every time. Not that he was going to deny Izaya in the first place. _

_ “Here,” Shizuo lifts Izaya carefully and turns him around so his head is in Shizuo’s lap. Shizuo pulls his sweatpants and boxers down for Izaya before letting him do as he pleases, petting Izaya’s hair. _

_ Izaya nuzzles into his crotch, purring as he covers Shizuo’s half-hard cock in little kitten licks. Izaya eventually licks Shizuo’s cock into his mouth and sucks on it eagerly. By now Izaya’s gotten much more comfortable with taking Shizuo’s size. He’s moaning and purring and tries out many different things like it’s a little game to play before he gets to drink Shizuo’s cum. Shizuo loves brushing back Izaya’s bangs as the omega does his best to move his head at a steady pace, forcing the huge cock to fill him until it hits the back of his throat. The alpha shudders when he sees the bulge it makes in Izaya’s throat as the omega swallows him deeply. When Shizuo finally does come Izaya drinks as much as he can but he still spills it as it overflows. As usual, Izaya scoops up the cum with his hands and licks his fingers clean. _

_ Shizuo’s fingers are still tangled in Izaya’s hair as he catches his breath and praises Izaya. _

_ “Feeling better?” Shizuo asks. Izaya often feels better after drinking his cum now that it’s turned into a treat. _

_ “I want more…” Izaya whines and crawls up Shizuo’s body to sit in his lap, awake enough at this point to move more. Shizuo can feel Izaya’s erection pressing into his stomach. He’s not really surprised. Izaya always gets excited by sucking Shizuo off. _

_ “Okay…” Shizuo lifts Izaya off his lap by his armpits and shifts to lay him back down on the futon so he can return the favor. _

_ “Nooo…” Izaya whines more. “Not like that…” _

_ This makes Shizuo pause. “What do you mean?” Izaya loves his blowjobs. _

_ “I want more,”Izaya lays back against the pillows with his knees parted just enough to be suggestive. Izaya lifts his long sweater up high enough to expose himself completely.  _

_ “Shizu-chan~ do I have to tell you?” Izaya tries to be coy as he rolls so his ass is towards Shizuo. Using his fingers, he spreads his hole open. _

_ “I want you to impregnate me.” _

_ Shizuo’s mouth waters like a dog salivating for a treat. He swallows before he can start drooling and tips forward on top of Izaya, his hand spread across his lower back. _

_ “Are… are you sure? This is what you want?” _

_ “I still don’t have your babies…” Izaya whines as if he’s hurt.  _

_ “I know…” Shizuo whispers, rubbing small, warm circles over Izaya’s lower back and ass. He has Izaya on his cock as much as possible, heck, Izaya dreams about it. He even fucks Izaya in his dreams and while he’s moaning for it in his sleep. Despite their very active sex life he hasn’t impregnated Izaya yet. He wants to. Of course, he wants to. But he wanted Izaya to say he that he wants kids. _

_ And now that Izaya’s finally said he wants to have kids. Shizuo can hardly believe it, it feels like he’s dreaming. _

_ “Okay, Izaya…” He leans forward and gives Izaya a kiss on the back of his neck. “You’re going to be the perfect mother.”  _

_ Izaya purrs in response and arches into Shizuo’s touch. _

_ This time Shizuo can’t keep his hands off Izaya’s stomach and chest, which has softened a bit under Shizuo’s care. He can’t stop imagining Izaya finally pregnant with their child. _

_ “Fuck, you’re going to be so perfect… Mmm, I’m not going to let you even think about getting up while you’re pregnant, got it?” Not that Shizuo really lets Izaya do anything ever. _

_ “I want twins…” Izaya moans softly as he spreads his asshole again, demanding Shizuo to plug him immediately. “Please load me with your seed…” _

_ “Oh, me too…” Shizuo groans loudly and pushes his cock deep into the familiar heat. “You’re going to be so big…” _

_ “Nnngh…. Aaah… aaah… S… Shizu-chan…. Aaah…!” Izaya moans and it sounds like he’s more excited than usual. Like he can’t wait to take Shizuo’s knot and be bred full. _

_ Shizuo can hardly wait either but he makes himself go slow at first just to savor it. He’s fucked Izaya plenty before but this is going to be their first time really trying for a baby. _

_ “I love you, I love you so much…” Shizuo moans over and over again. He can feel the slightest movements of his cock inside of Izaya through his lower stomach as he gets faster. He groans as the tip of his cock pounds into Izaya’s womb. Izaya moans his name and shudders as Shizuo’s cock slams into him again and again, demanding his climax relentlessly. _

_ It’s not long before Izaya’s making a mess of himself and begging Shizuo to keep going, begging for Shizuo to get him pregnant. _

_ And Shizuo can hardly last like that. His knot forms and locks them together, keeping Izaya in place for as long as it takes for him to be filled with every drop of cum Shizuo has. Shizuo thinks that despite coming so recently from a blowjob, they’re going to be like this a very long time. He plans on fucking Izaya over and over again and keeping him plugged up with cum until his stomach is bulging with it and they’re certain he’s pregnant. Then he’s going to fuck him some more to celebrate.  _

_ Then they will make even more babies to fill their warm, little house. Shizuo can’t wait to come home with his hunted venison for his family. Izaya will be on the porch holding their new baby, and the twins will come running up to him, calling him, “Papa!” _

“Man, it has been one hell of a day.” Once again Tom breaks Shizuo’s daydream, this time by plopping himself down on the barstool in front of Shizuo, startling the bar-tender out of cleaning one glass for twenty minutes straight. Probably for the best. Shizuo does not need this kind of hard-on at work.

“Oh yeah?” Shizuo turns to get Tom’s order before he can even place it. “More so than usual?”

“Yeah…” Tom sighs, resting his head in his hands. “I see a lot of shit from people in my line of work but some of it never gets easier.”

“What happened?” Shizuo asks, placing the shining glass in front of Tom although he isn’t sure he wants to know.

“This one guy refused to pay his debt.” Tom begins with a sigh. Shizuo nods. That’s how Tom’s problems always start.

“And of course, like everyone, they think they can run or hide. Or in this case, he barricaded himself in his apartment. Like the good debt collector that I happen to be, I, of course, knock on the door and politely ask for him to please pay his debt before I have to use force.” Tom pauses to drink several gulps from the glass before he continues. “And I had to use force.”

Shizuo nods again as he refills the glass. Times like this, just listening is all his customers want and that suits Shizuo well. He doesn’t have much to say.    


“And once I kick the door open, lo and behold, his place is TRASHED. Trashed I tell you! There’s garbage everywhere. Not to mention the walls were burnt! I didn’t even want to know what happened there, the place was a fire hazard for sure. Anyways, the man grabs his hammer and threatens to kill me with it but oh no. I’ve seen a lot worse than some gigantic hammer. I tell him straight up, how it’s going to go unless he pays up. And he finally decides to tell me that he spent his last bit of cash on gambling on horses. HORSES! Why in the world is everyone obsessed with gambling on horses? It’s beyond me.” Tom again gulps down last of the glass and Shizuo refills it for him. 

“So, I tell him, I can’t go back without at least some payment or I’ll have to get the yakuza involved. And he doesn’t want that, of course. Loan sharks are one thing but yakuza? So, he buys my bluff, thankfully, and offers me the one thing he’s got of value. Between two mountains of garbage is a cage with this child omega. A child! Barely in decent clothes! Oh man, even I felt disgusted.” He drains his glass again.

Shizuo nearly drops the bottle of alcohol he was about to pour for Tom...

“Wh-What?!”

“And the worst part is that when I called my boss about it he told me to take the offer!” Tom punctuates with a heavy swig of his drink as soon as Shizuo pulls himself together and pours it. “And damn Shizuo, this guy… I’m not even sure this is a bad deal for the omega kid. He might seriously be better off sold to someone else rather than keep staying with his keeper. The worst part is, the guy didn’t even have proper paperwork for the omega he has. It’s as if he’s stolen or something. It’s shady I tell you.”

“Damn…” Shizuo winces at the very thought of Izaya being stuck in such a situation. Thank god Shizuo found him.

“Ah, but the thing is…” Tom’s rant trails off and he finally takes his hand off his glass, lacing his fingers together and looking down at them. “We don’t have a buyer for the kid yet. Or a place to keep him. I’m always out doing fieldwork and no one in the office wants him and… well, the people who do want him we shouldn’t give him to, you know?”

Shizuo sighs and leans against the bar, shaking his head. “That’s such shit… the poor kid. He should be in school and playin' kickball…”

“Yeah, well, seeing the state he was in when I had to pick him up, I’m not quite sure he had a ‘normal’ family house to grow up in.” Tom shakes his head. “It’s hard to find a good family these days anyway, but man. I don’t want to know what he might have been through.”

Shizuo frowns at the idea of abuse. He is reminded of his own rescue omega. He has no idea what kind of life Izaya had lived but he got into a university. He probably came from a good enough family until… he had to run away almost naked, wearing that gaudy outfit and a straightjacket. For Izaya to run away, they must have done some awful things.

“Yeah, good families are hard to come by these days.” Shizuo agrees as he’s lost in thought again. Back to his dream house in the forest with twin kids and a third one… maybe a fourth one on the way. “I always wanted a big, healthy family. I still do.”

“Haven’t given up?” Tom smiles at him and Shizuo takes it as a sign of encouragement...

Shizuo’s face softens as he starts daydreaming again. Izaya smiling at him, pregnant with a fifth child maybe. That’d be nic-

“That’s great! Then you’re the man for the job!”

“W-wait, what?” Shizuo jerks his face up after nodding to himself, daydreaming happily about Izaya. He had tuned out of Tom for few seconds again.

“I’m glad you agreed to take him. I knew I could trust you.” Tom clasped his hand and shook it. S-Shizuo’s a bit dumbfounded. W-wait what did he just agree to? Shizuo looks confused as Tom continues, “I’ll bring him right after your shift ends. You just need to keep him for few days. A week at most. It’ll be just like babysitting! You know, like training for your future happy family!”

“N-No way Tom! I can’t take this kid now, I… I…” He’s still thinking about Izaya. He can’t just bring a stranger into their house. Not without talking to Izaya about it. And what if the kid gets sold to some rich guy and sees the wanted posters of Izaya? What if he tells for the reward or to bargain for his freedom or something?

“Come on, Shizuo, please? You’re the only guy I know I can trust to keep the kid safe. Besides, it’ll be like practicing to be a good dad, right?”

Shizuo remembers that one time a father begged him to take his omega daughter as a mate for her protection. Shizuo doesn’t regret not mating her, she was probably only 14 or 15, but… he has no idea what happened to her or her father. Nothing good, probably.

… Tom’s not asking him to mate the kid. It’s just for a few days and… Hell, Izaya’s an omega. Omegas are supposed to love kids and the idea of Izaya learning to be a good parent for their future kids is rather enticing...

“... Fine. Just for a few days.”

And that sealed the deal. 

* * *

Izaya hears the door open and again he decides to pretend to sleep. It’s been few days where he’s pretended to sleep as soon as Shizuo walks in so he doesn’t try to give him ‘milk’ for the morning, it’s been working so far.

“Izaya?”

Shizuo should know he’s asleep from the way Izaya’s lying in his cage but this morning is different. Shizuo approaches quietly and lightly taps on the cage. 

“I’m sorry to wake you. Please wake up? Please?”

Izaya groans, his heart heavy. Shizuo’s never woken him up before. In fact, Shizuo rarely touches his cage. Is ‘milking’ that important? Did this alpha finally decide that whatever junk he read in the books is a guide he must follow?

Sighing to himself, Izaya turns over with ‘groggy’ eyes. 

“Good morning, Shizu-chan.” Izaya stretches and again hits his hands against the top of his cage on purpose before sitting up. “How was work?”

“W-well…” Shizuo shifts his eyes to the door behind him. Izaya blinks. The front door isn’t closed. 

“Here, let me get you out of the cage first. I want you to meet someone.”

“???” Izaya is confused as Shizuo opens the cage to let him out.

“Meet? Izaya tilts his head as cutely as possible as he stands up. 

“I-I’ll be right back. H-he’s a bit older than I thought but…” Shizuo frowns to himself as he shuffles back outside.

Izaya stands there, waiting. Shizuo’s never invited anyone to their home. In fact, Shizuo’s pretty much anti-social. He wonders if he’s even dressed for meeting one of Shizuo’s friends since he’s just wearing Shizuo’s large, baggy clothes as his pajamas so he’s always surrounded by the alpha’s scent. But it looks like Shizuo thinks it’s alright. Must be someone very close and comfortable to Shizuo. Perhaps it’s Kasuka?

Shizuo walks in, one hand carrying a rather decent size cage on his shoulder while the other hand holds the end of a leash. 

“Come in. This is your new home for a while.” Shizuo says to someone behind the door as he tugs.

A young boy peers in before he steps forward. He has short, dark hair. He stinks and his clothes are ragged. 

“This is Izaya. He is my omega.” Shizuo nods as he closes the door behind them. 

“And Izaya, this is Aoba. He’s going to be staying with us for a few days. Aoba, say hello.”

Aoba nods to Shizuo understanding that he is granted the permission to speak, like a model omega, then he bows slightly to Izaya, “Hello, nice to meet you Izaya-san. You can just call me Aoba.” He grins and his bright eyes twinkle with intelligence and possible mischief. 

Izaya’s eyes narrowed briefly before smiling back. “Hi, Aoba. You may just call me Izaya.” 

Shizuo nods in approval but Izaya can already tell. 

This omega will cause some problems. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love all our readers and reviewers! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	15. Chapter 15

“So umm, we can unload the cage here…” Shizuo places the folded up cage for Aoba against the wall, carefully so he doesn’t damage anything. Aoba quietly watches, his hands behind his back, standing quite still. Izaya’s eyeing both of them, feeling tense.

Another omega… he had rarely interacted with omegas, even when he thought he was a beta. In middle school, once the kids present as omegas, many of them drop out of public school to attend private omega schools, if their families can afford it. It is possible to continue to go to public school with alphas and betas but it becomes more and more difficult to manage their heats and the advances of other students. Although some omegas who want higher education take suppressants and other pills to avoid the issues of their heat; the discrimination they receive from other students and even teachers make it even more difficult to continue to attend classes. Izaya remembers how one by one, his omega classmates would soon drop out or switch to a different school from middle school years. Once high school came around most of the class had been filtered down to betas and alphas.

This kid looks as if he never left home for school. The type of horror stories where the omega is never let out of their room. At least his clothes looked as if they’ve never been washed. Not that Izaya knows a lot but…

Izaya studies Aoba, who’s studying Shizuo. He has almost completely ignored Izaya except for his introduction. The boy is watching all of Shizuo’s moves and Izaya finds that unnerving.

“Okay, erm, are you hungry?”

“Yes, sir.” Aoba chirps like a little bird, smiling brightly. That’s not how one would answer if they were actually hungry, Izaya thinks to himself. It sounds more like a brainwashed school boy answering to a teacher’s question.

“Well, Izaya’s very good at making breakfast. Isn’t that right?” Shizuo tries to bring Izaya into the conversation again. Aoba, however, looks only at Shizuo even as the blond is gesturing towards Izaya.

Izaya sighs as he knows that’s his cue to talk. “What would you like to eat Aoba?”

“Anything is fine.” Aoba smiles and Izaya can already tell it’s forced. His eyes aren’t smiling.

“Well, I can make… miso soup with grilled fish? And I think we have pickles.” Izaya knows what’s in the fridge by now.

“Great!” Shizuo claps his hands, trying his best to make this whole thing less uncomfortable. Izaya turns to walk into the kitchen when he hears Shizuo say, “Erm… you can sit down, you know.”

The boy must still be standing exactly where he was. Izaya rolls his eyes as he gets out his carton of pre-made, instant miso to put into a boiling pot of water.

“So um, do you have any hobbies?” There’s no wall so Izaya can hear the conversation, which Shizuo is clearly struggling to keep going. Izaya knows Shizuo well enough to know how terrible he is as talking.

“Yes. I love cooking and cleaning.”

What a model answer, Izaya groans inwardly.

“Oh, you love cooking too? Oh man, Izaya… umm… is good at cooking, he was really excited to cook when he… moved in…”

“Can I help, please? I’m sure I can please you.”

 _Oh dear,_ Izaya sighs heavily. Shizuo must have nodded because the little boy joins him in the kitchen while Shizuo grabs some lounge clothes and heads to the bathroom so he can change out of his work clothes without getting undressed in front of the kid.

He stands next to Izaya in the tiny kitchen since there’s almost no space. The ‘kitchen’ is a hole in the wall for a stove, a fridge and a sink. And that is pretty much it save for some cupboards on the wall. So at best only two people can be standing inside. Or one could be kneeling between the other’s knees while the other tries to kill them with his dick. Hypothetically.

“Do you really know how to cook?” Izaya asks neutrally as he hands Aoba a small cutting board. “Please cut up the tofu then.”

Aoba’s eyes glaze over Izaya as he’s given the knife. He holds it up calmly and then without looking at Izaya, he whispers, “You seem to be nice and settled here with this alpha… maybe you shouldn’t get too comfortable.”

“...” Izaya doesn’t bother looking over at the boy as he stirs the miso into the boiling pot. “It beats being with some others.” Izaya shrugs, hearing the threat and not bothering to give him a proper answer.

Izaya thinks he hears a snort then he hears the sound of the knife clacking against the wooden board as the boy roughly cuts the tofu, as if it’s a harder substance. He then glances over and frowns at the way Aoba’s cutting it up not into cubes but into ugly bits and pieces _. Loves cooking my ass._

“I bet it is. Nice alpha you have here…”

“Is that jealousy I hear?” Izaya watches as Aoba slowly pours the terribly shaped tofu into his pot. Aoba’s face is close enough for Izaya to notice that uncanny smile and eyes make him look capable of strangling puppies.

“More like a warning.”

“...” Izaya looks down on Aoba for a second in the most condescending manner he can before quietly slapping down a frozen fish onto the cutting board.

“Since you said you love cooking so much, please clean it, get rid of the head with the fish eyes and gut it. And season it with salt inside and out.”

“...” Aoba stares at the un-thawed fish that just came out of the freezer. He glares at Izaya, accepting the challenge as he puts it in the sink and turns on the hot water.

Izaya smirks to himself as Aoba jumps when ‘hot water’ never comes out of the faucet.

And because he is paying attention to Aoba for a second and not the soup, he does not see the bubbles of his pot boiling over. When it hisses, Izaya gasps and turns off the pot.

“What the hell?!” Izaya glares at Aoba who looks like a smug little devil. Miso soup should not boil like this!

“Don’t worry,” Aoba says with the fakest look of innocence Izaya’s ever seen. “Even good cooks make mistakes sometimes.”

That’s when Izaya realizes the leftover white bar on the cutting board and picks it up.

“This is SOAP!” Izaya’s jaw drops. This jerk put SOAP into the miso soup and completely ruined it!

Aoba shrugs. “Oops.”

Izaya glares as he dumps out the ‘soup’ in anger into the sink with frozen fish.

“Clean off the soap from the fish at least.” Izaya glares at the young boy who now happily washes the partially thawed fish and starts cleaning it. Izaya sighs as he washes the pot and boils more water. This time, he watches Aoba clean the fish properly and pour salt on the fish from the correct jar.

“Stop wasting food or you won’t be eating anything. Shizuo hates being wasteful.” Izaya warns as he gets the pan ready for grilling.

“I wasn’t the one who dumped the perfectly good soup into the sink,” Aoba replies nonchalantly.

“You’d eat soup made out of soap?”

“I’ve eaten worse. Haven’t you?”

“... I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need a trash can.” Izaya counters but he does store that piece of information. It could very well be that Aoba’s bluffing but it could possibly true. Aoba is still wearing ragged clothes that are far more honest than anything Izaya is likely to hear from his mouth.

Finally, the food is ready and Izaya has to double and triple check so this newcomer won’t sabotage his food again. He tastes his miso soup and makes sure the oil isn’t vinegar or gasoline for heaven’s sake before he pours it into the pan to grill the fish. He tastes the tiny bit of the fish to make sure it’s exactly what he thinks it should taste like before he plates them. He does catch Aoba’s wrist before he dumps a cup of hot pepper into the soup and he manages to catch himself when the young boy ‘accidentally’ tries to trip him.

…He’s definitely more than a handful.

Shizuo returns wearing some lounge clothes and holding an extra set for Aoba to change into. “Sorry, these are gonna be huge on you but this is the best I’ve got right… Is something wrong?” Shizuo pauses when he seems to sense the tense atmosphere. It’s something Izaya has noticed from time to time, that Shizuo can be quite intuitive and sensitive to certain things. Luckily for him, Aoba probably doesn’t know this yet.

“Nothing Shizu-ch…” Izaya is about to start when Aoba interrupts him with a chirp, “I cut myself by accident while cutting the fish. I’m so sorry.” Izaya looks over in surprise. He didn’t see Aoba’s fingers bleed at all! But there he is, holding up his forefinger with a small cut that’s bleeding. When the heck did he do that?!

Shizuo immediately drops the change of clothes off to the side and rushes to the kitchen to help. “Oh, no. Is it deep?” He takes Aoba’s hand carefully to examine it. Stupid protective alpha...

“My master used to give me boo-boo kisses….” Aoba replies mournfully in a disgusting ‘baby voice’. Izaya groans. He isn’t even sure if Shizuo has any band-aids.

Well if the young boy is trying to get Shizuo’s undivided attention, he’s got it. Shizuo leads Aoba out of the kitchen towards the bathroom. “We have to clean and bandage it.”

Izaya sighs as he places the food on the small kotatsu table and brings the table to the middle of the room where they usually eat. There’s no point in him trying to squeeze into the bathroom to try to ‘help.’ The bathroom can barely fit two people. Izaya can see that as Shizuo stands behind the small boy and helps him wash his hands in the sink. It’s impressive that a kid so young is willing to hurt himself to get attention. With them right in front of each other, it’s clear how small Aoba is with Aoba’s head only coming up to Shizuo’s chest, reminding Izaya how young he might be. Regardless of his age, he certainly is not ‘normal’.

 _If I were you, I would have hidden my fangs a bit longer..._ Izaya thinks to himself as he watches Shizuo finish washing Aoba’s cut and do his best to wrap it before bringing them to the table for their morning meal.

Izaya is not looking forward to the next few days at all.

* * *

Shizuo’s kicking himself for this kid getting hurt when he’s only been under Shizuo’s watch for about an hour now. It’s not really Shizuo’s fault, accidents happen, but he still feels guilty as he cleans the cut and bandages it securely.

What did Aoba say his _master_ used to do for his cuts? Kiss them?

… Yeah, Shizuo’s not gonna do that. Tom painted a very good picture of how this kid used to live and Shizuo would rather not be anything like his old _master._

This kid is older than Shizuo thought he’d be when he agreed to take him in but he’s still so small and… really feminine looking, to be frank. Is this what an omega looks like when they present younger than Izaya did? Izaya’s pretty, of course, but he definitely looks like a young man, at least. Aoba’s more like a doll. It makes Shizuo even more nervous about handling him delicately, he doesn’t know how he’s going to survive this week!

At least he has Izaya to help.

“How does that feel?” Shizuo asks when the band-aid is secure. “It’s not too tight?” He’d hate himself if he accidentally bandaged Aoba too tightly and cut off the blood-circulation altogether.

“It’s good, thank you!” Aoba says sweetly, tilting his head back against Shizuo’s chest to look up at him with big, brown eyes. He looks… too sweet. Like how Izaya looks when he’s trying to get something out of Shizuo. It rubs Shizuo the wrong way but he tries not to dwell on it. This poor kid is probably turning on the charm because he’s had such terrible experiences with alphas. It’s probably just a defense mechanism.  

“No problem,” Shizuo grunts and before he can suggest they go to eat, Aoba turns around and wraps his arms around Shizuo’s neck. Aoba tips forward, off balance because he has to stand on his tiptoes, and presses his whole body into Shizuo, purring loudly.

“I’m in your care, _alpha…_ ” Aoba whispers as he nuzzles into Shizuo like a kitten.

Poor kid thinks he has to suck up to Shizuo for every little thing. Giving him a band-aid was really just common decency.

“Don’t mention it, kid.” Shizuo grunts and ruffles Aoba’s hair affectionately before pushing him off. Once Aoba is on his feet again Shizuo bends forward so he’s at eye-level with him, his hand still in Aoba’s hair. He heard that it’s better to be at eye-level when talking with kids so they don’t feel as intimidated. “Let’s go eat, you must be hungry and it smells like you and Izaya did a great job.”

He guides Aoba out of the bathroom and into the living room where Izaya’s already set the table so they can all sit down for their first family meal. Izaya is giving Shizuo a look that he’s not sure how to interpret before saying, “Itadakimasu.”  

The food is good. Maybe not as good as some of the stuff Izaya has made before but there’s no way Shizuo’s going to keep Aoba from helping if he likes to cook. Putting a kid down like that would just be mean.

“You did a great job,” he tells Aoba encouragingly, “Maybe with enough practice and some help from Izaya you can come up with your own recipes.”

“Some help he was, throwing soap into my soup.” Izaya rolls his eyes.

“I’m very sorry!” Aoba apologizes with a bow so deep his head is nearly resting on the table. “It was an accident.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Shizuo reassures Aoba with a hand on his shoulder. The apology is definitely off. Like he’s trying too hard. But he’s probably just scared they’ll kick him out… right?

Shizuo gives Izaya a look. He can’t tell if he was teasing Aoba or telling on him but either way, there’s no reason to upset this kid like that. Izaya just looks away in a huff and doesn’t bother meeting Shizuo’s gaze as he continues to eat his fish and rice.

Damn it. Now he’s got two upset omegas. Shizuo sighs and reaches for Izaya’s hand under the table to give it an apologetic squeeze once Aoba sits back up to start eating.

Shizuo tries to go back to eating but Izaya’s cold shoulder has him too anxious to feel hungry anymore. He lets go of Izaya’s hand and forces himself to have another mouthful anyway when Aoba’s shoulder is suddenly brushing against his. It’s a small table so it could be an accident but then Aoba is leaning his full weight into Shizuo’s side.

“Uh… it’s kinda hard to eat like this. Could you scoot over?”

Izaya, who was supposedly not looking, jerks up to stare in surprise at Aoba before rolling his eyes and going back to his food, ignoring Shizuo and Aoba.

Shizuo feels exceedingly awkward. Is Izaya jealous? He can’t be, Aoba is supposed to be their kid for the week!

Aoba does scoot over with a pout while Shizuo tries to explain the situation to himself. Maybe it’s like how that man who wanted Shizuo to take his daughter told Shizuo he felt safe? But if Aoba felt safe would he be trying to kiss Shizuo’s ass so much?

Shizuo swallows the rest of his food and water as fast as possible so he can take his plate to the sink and leave this awkward silence. He’s starting to worry that maybe… Aoba thinks he has to… sexually appeal to Shizuo because he’s an alpha. But Shizuo already has an omega and more importantly, Aoba is a kid. He’ll have to try and set him straight if that is the case but… boy that would be an awkward thing to talk about.

As Shizuo is rinsing the soap off his plate another horrible idea comes to mind. What if Aoba _isn’t_ trying to seduce him? What if Shizuo just thinks he is?? Fuck, he’s not into kids like that and he sure as hell doesn’t want to bring it up to Aoba only to find out he’s reading this all wrong! Aoba would think he’s a total creep!

Shizuo’s palms are sweating with anxiety by the time Aoba squeezes into the kitchen with Shizuo, hands full of all the dishes he can carry. “I’ll do the dishes, Shizuo-san!” he chirps again like a helpful bird.

“Uh, sure, thanks…” Shizuo says and steps away from the sink to let Aoba in, strafing around him in the tiny space to try not to bump into the kid.

But Aoba drops a plastic cup off the top of the pile. He apologizes profusely again and bends over abruptly to grab it, his butt bumping right into Shizuo’s thighs, just below his crotch, before Shizuo can escape.

“Don’t worry about it!” Shizuo says and practically runs out of the kitchen to the living room with Izaya. That was just an accident, right?

He sighs in relief when he sees Izaya and instantly relaxes. Izaya might be mad at him but at least he’s not a strange child who may or may not be making moves on him.

Izaya’s making Shizuo’s bed when he turns around to see the alpha rushing out. He turns around and crosses his arms with his eyebrows raised up, tapping his foot as he waits, as if he’s saying ‘Well? Got something to say for yourself?’

Shizuo walks up to Izaya to try to consult with him as quietly as possible without Aoba hearing. The faucet is on so as long as he’s quiet he should be okay.

“I… Did not know he’d be _like this_ ,” Shizuo whispers. “I’m sorry Izaya, he was just in such a bad situation and I just was trying to help and it’s just a week and…” and Shizuo is rambling again.

Izaya’s shoulders relax, seemingly a bit less cross at Shizuo’s honesty. He walks over and places a finger on Shizuo’s lips to shush him. Then he cups Shizuo’s face and brings him down for a soft kiss on the nose.

“I’ll forgive you if you buy me sushi dinner tonight.” He teases.

Shizuo’s shoulders slump in relief and he leans forward towards Izaya, nuzzling into his soft hands. Izaya touching him feels so, so much better.

“Yeah, I will.”

“If you want to play house, you might want to invest in an ‘adult’ bedroom next time before adopting a kid,” Izaya whispers into his ear before pulling away.

Shizuo blushes hard and shakes his head before he can catch his own lie. “I didn’t…” But he cuts himself short. He kind of did.

Shizuo bites his lip and anxiously taps his foot a bit. He doesn’t want Izaya to think he’s… like that about kids. Izaya would never want a family with him if he thought that. But he has to ask. This can’t all be in his head. Aoba touching him and Izaya touching him feel _very_ different so it can’t just be Shizuo imagining it.

“Izaya… don’t freak out, okay? But I think that maybe… Does Aoba seem like he’s too… touchy with me?” He whispers even quieter, leaning in close so he’s sure only Izaya can hear him.

“...” Izaya opens his mouth to answer when the faucet cuts off and a too-cheerful voice interrupts them with, “I’m done with the dishes!”

Shizuo groans. _What was Izaya going to say?_ Izaya smiles and looks behind Shizuo to say, “Great job! Now you can put them away.”

“I don’t know where they go…”

“I’ll be right there,” Izaya says and as he walks past Shizuo, he whispers a simple, “Yes.”

Shizuo blinks. It was so quiet but he knows he didn’t imagine it. And Izaya didn’t sound happy about it at all.

That explains everything.

He’s going to have to talk to Aoba about this, isn’t he?

Shizuo sighs. _So much for worrying about what kind of coloring book to get the kid…_

Once Izaya and Aoba are finished up in the kitchen Shizuo is exhausted. He has no idea what to say. Maybe he can just… sleep now and talk to Aoba about it later? Maybe after he gets Izaya’s sushi...

* * *

“Seriously? He sleeps during the _day_ _?”_ Aoba whispers to Izaya from inside his cage. Izaya’s reading one of his books. Thankfully, there is a wall of books between his cage and that little devil’s.

“Get used to it. He works at night so you’ll have more fun napping.”

Izaya smirks to himself as he hears a groan. Shizuo’s snoring away and even Izaya knows that snore isn’t fake. Shizuo’s knocked out. Juggling two omegas must have tired him out. Granted, Izaya is rather pleased that Shizuo figured out Aoba’s scheming quickly. Well, part of his scheming anyway...

Aoba grumbles. “How boring….”

“Read a book. There’s a lovely book on quantum physics to your right.” It’s actually a book on sociology in the aftermath of World War I but it’s not like Aoba would know the difference.

“What kind of alpha gives his omega _books_ to pass the time anyway?” He scoffs quietly so Shizuo won’t wake up and hear Aoba over his loud snoring. Which is one of the main reasons why Izaya gave up on sleeping during the days when Shizuo’s asleep and he prefers to sleep at night.

“A smart and caring one. But you know that already, don’t you?” Izaya flips the page though he’s having a bit of a hard time concentrating now that Aoba’s in a talkative mood.

“...He won’t be yours forever. He’ll get bored of you. They all do. They always want a new toy to break. I’m younger and prettier. You’re used trash.”

“...Honestly, for a kid who tries to act smart, you’re awfully naive.” Izaya sighs. “You don’t rank very high right? Your scent isn’t particularly interesting. I’m guessing you’re...what? Rank C at best? Are you trying to land yourself an alpha early at your prime time, is that it?”

“...”

The silence is threatening. Izaya could feel the anger radiate through the wall of books separating them and he smirks after touching the sore spot.

“Just to let you know, the world isn’t quite that awful. You’ll find one eventually. But this one... is mine.” Izaya says it calmly and quietly, even though the truth is rather far from it. Not that Aoba needs to know that. “So if you think you can take him away from me, you are welcome to try.”

“Don’t underestimate me just because I’m a D-Rank…” Aoba hisses like the snake he is before turning over to stare at the other wall.

Izaya hides a smirk as Aoba fumes in his corner, fluffing up his pillow to try to find a comfortable spot to sleep. Now he knows for sure, Aoba will go very far out of his way to try and please Shizuo, but all he’ll end up doing is bringing Shizuo hell.

Now this will be an interesting one hell of a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love all our readers and reviewers! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	16. Chapter 16

 

A few hours ago, Izaya had turned off the flashlight that Shizuo bought him as he had finished reading for the night and planned to sleep. But he knew better than to sleep right away. In fact, he listened quietly, fighting sleep the best he could while staying still, pretending to be dead asleep. 

Shizuo had left for work around six p.m. They all had an early dinner, although Aoba still hasn’t adjusted to the backward time that Shizuo works and lives on. Izaya couldn’t be sure when Aoba would make his next move, but if he had to guess, he would have bet on tonight. Aoba’s been here long enough to draft up a plan if he had any ideas. Plus Aoba seemed to be the impatient type, considering he didn’t bother hiding his fangs from Izaya even on day one. Does Aoba expect Izaya to be docile because of his status as a domestic omega? 

No. That’s something the alphas had created, a lie they wanted everyone to believe in. Omegas aren’t all born docile and passive like all alphas aren’t born to be natural leaders and protectors. Aoba must know this.

There’s no doubt that Aoba considers Izaya to be his biggest rival if he wants to take Shizuo as his alpha. 

_ ‘Guess he really likes Shizu-chan. Well, as an S-rank, he must exude some kind of aura _ .’ Izaya thinks to himself. He already knows how nice Shizuo can smell. It’s just … Izaya frowns. It just doesn’t have the same effect on Izaya. There’s really no word for it. Izaya isn’t affected by other alphas easily which is why he had thought he was a beta all his life. Now he knows, it’s because he’s an S-class, which probably gave him some sort of resistance, maybe.

Izaya forces himself not to sigh. In all honesty, he doesn’t really know. The public library books can only do so much, he wishes he could actually get doctorate-level books with real, credible research. He’s already read the books he has and they still haven’t answered most of his questions since they are manufactured to feed the masses the ideas that the elite alphas want the public to believe. 

Just as he is contemplating on the effects of his body’s scent colliding against Shizuo’s he finally hears rustling from Aoba’s cage and not the kind of rustling one would do while tossing in their sleep either. He remains quiet, keeping his breath even as he listens. He hears sounds of tinkering and finally the creak of the cage door opening. Ah, so he has learned how to pick locks. Izaya figures a lot of omegas learn how to do that eventually. 

Aoba steps over the books carefully in the dark. He probably memorized where they were back when there was light. Izaya remains still as Aoba comes towards his cage. Did the boy carry a hidden knife or something sharp? There is a chance that Aoba stole a kitchen knife even though Izaya had been very careful to count everything before going back to his cage. But he could go now to the kitchen and get a knife. 

Despite the danger, Izaya remains as calm as ever. There’s a high probability that Aoba won’t kill him. It’d be too hard to explain to Shizuo if he’s planning to stay here, after all. 

Izaya swallows quietly as Aoba walks past him and goes to the door. He hears the boy carefully open it with the tiniest amount of noise and step out. 

Quickly, Izaya digs under his own pillow to take out the paperclips he found on the floor in the library and had hidden away. He unlocks his own cage, he had plenty of nights to practice this after all. And since omegas are supposed to be dumb, the basic cages come with the most basic locks.

With a few twists, the lock comes undone and Izaya steps outside. He can hear tiny footsteps going down the stairs to the bottom of the apartment and Izaya follows. Barefoot, he makes even less noise than Aoba. But he does grab the fur coat Shizuo had gotten him. Even though the floor is icy cold, it’s better than being caught stalking this little sneaky devil. 

Aoba walks outside, not caring if his collar is easily visible without a coat. Izaya, however, is slightly conscious of his collar so he pulls up the hoodie and zips up the front. 

The young boy doesn’t seem to care about being out in the open despite it clearly being past his curfew. Izaya slinks between the corners of the buildings, always just a block away. Then Aoba turns a corner and walks into an alleyway. 

Knowing he probably can’t follow, Izaya goes near the corner and hides behind a dumpster to listen in. Aoba is talking to someone in the alley. Izaya has no idea if this is something they regularly do or if it’s a planned meeting. Regardless, they are whispering and Izaya can’t hear them at all save for a few murmurs he can’t make out.

Daring himself, Izaya crouches low and slowly peeks around the corner. 

There’s an older man with white hairs peppering his beard, wearing a scruffy hat and a trench coat. In the dark, it is impossible to make out his face but he can see Aoba and the man exchange something. Then Aoba gets on his knees and crawls into the opening of the trench coat. Izaya rolls his eyes. He’s seen enough. 

Izaya quickly gets up and rushes back to the apartment, since he doesn’t care to know how the boy plans to make payment to his dealer.

He manages to get back before Aoba, who was a bit busy. Once at the apartment, he crawls to the kitchen to wash his dirty feet to make sure not to leave any footprints before getting into his cage and locking himself back in. Less than half an hour later, Aoba comes back. He carefully locks the door again. He removes his shoes and crawls into his cage to lock himself back in for the rest of the night. 

Tomorrow… will be very interesting indeed. 

* * *

Izaya blinks wearily, tired from his night out when he hears the door open and Shizuo walking in.

“I’m home,” Shizuo says softly. He goes straight to Izaya and places both his hands on the cage.

“Good morning,” Izaya yawns and rubs his eyes as Shizuo unlocks his cage. It isn’t until after the fact that he realizes this is the first time he forgot to stretch and hit the ceiling of his cage. Man, he really is tired from the lack of sleep. He crawls out and this time he bangs his head by accident for real. 

“Ow…” he rubs his head.

Shizuo is unlocking Aoba’s cage when he hears Izaya yelp. He drops Aoba’s lock and turns all of a sudden to come over to check on Izaya. 

“Are you okay?” Shizuo frets and brushes Izaya’s bangs back to look at his forehead. “You sound so tired, did you not sleep well?”

“Mmmm… I think I had a weird dream.” Izaya leans forward and rubs his forehead against Shizuo’s chest. He knows that will look cute and Shizuo likes that. 

“A weird dream?”

“Yeah, something like... oh, I don’t know. Someone opening the door last night.” Izaya challenges Aoba with a hidden smirk.

“What?!” Shizuo demands, looking panicked. “Are you sure it was just a dream?”

“It’s probably a dream.” Izaya lifts his head and smiles at Shizuo. Then he turns to Aoba with a grin. “Besides, Aoba would have known too if someone opened the door last night, right?”

“Of course,” Aoba pipes but he isn’t looking at them. In fact, he has picked up one of the books that is near his cage and is flipping through it as casually as possible. “Actually, it says here in this book that when an omega is fatigued enough to experience hallucinations like that, it means they lack protein and proper nutrients. And the best way to receive all the essential nutrients is through their Alpha’s  _ milk _ .”

Izaya can feel his hair rising on the back of his neck as Aoba smiles back. That little fucking devil DID read one of the books in the stacks yesterday! In fact, Izaya knows which passage that is regarding and it makes sense, it’s the damn book Shizuo was reading earlier so it was near his bed!

“I heard from my older brother that is true, actually.” Aoba agrees with the text with that smile Izaya wants to rip apart. “It’s a great source of protein for Izaya-san.”

Shizuo turns away from Izaya to approach Aoba. He kneels down in front of the cage and places a hand on top of it. “Aoba,” he says gently. “I think… we need to talk about your behavior. Whether that is or isn’t true isn’t the issue right now.” Is Shizuo actually going to try to be Aoba’s parent? Needless to say, Izaya is surprised.

Not only is Izaya surprised but Aoba seems to be too before his smile is back firmly in place. “Of course, Shizuo-san.”

“I don’t think you do, I-... you-...” Izaya watches as Shizuo stammers, trying to articulate his thoughts and failing as usual.

Shizuo hesitates and glances back at Izaya helplessly. Izaya stares back, his lips twitching, wanting to help but knowing that in the end, he can’t. The words must come from an alpha, not an omega for this  _ talk _ to be effective. Shizuo turns back to face Aoba and tries it again.

“Listen, I think you might have a certain, kinda… idea… about how you’re supposed to act around me. But I’m, you-... You need to… not try to do… certain things… until you have a mate.” And now it sounds like he’s telling Aoba not to be fake unless he has a mate. And he fails to tell Aoba to stop pursuing him.

Izaya almost wants to facepalm. To Aoba, he has found a mate. And that’s Shizuo. 

Aoba just smiles as if he’s listening but it’s clearly going in one ear and out the other. “Of course, Shizuo-san. You’re completely right.” 

“No, you’re not!-” Shizuo sighs and it’s obvious he’s about to give up. He glances back at Izaya again as though he’s asking for help once more before going back to Aoba. “You’re like… thirteen, right? Just be thirteen, okay?” 

If he’s thirteen, for a thirteen-year-old, he’s a devil already. His life probably has been a hellhole for him to be so freaking devious but that’s another matter. 

“Of course Shizuo-san.” Aoba doesn’t even tell him if he’s right or wrong about his age. Izaya closes his eyes and does his best not to sigh. 

“Okay, time to make breakfast? Since clearly, I need proper nutrients, right Aoba-kun?” Izaya claps his hands before the awkwardness continues. Well, Shizuo has tried. 

Shizuo seems defeated as he gets up from his kneeling position in front of Aoba to go change out of his work clothes. Izaya motions Aoba to come to the kitchen to help him with breakfast and the young boy obediently walks to him.

“Did you really have such a weird dream, Izaya-san?” Aoba smiles as he comes to his side. 

“Who knows?” Izaya shrugs as he takes out the knife and stabs the wooden cutting board in the middle. 

“Now then. I want you to cut some vegetables.” Izaya takes out some potatoes and hands them to Aoba.”We’ll make a simple meal together, won’t we Aoba-kun?”

“Of course, Izaya-san. I look forward to learning more from you.” Aoba is dripping with sarcasm as he yanks the knife from the wooden board without being intimidated. 

This boy has guts if anything. Izaya has practically threatened him just now. Observing the boy carefully, Izaya makes sure that he sees everything Aoba is doing this time. Together, under Izaya’s watchful eyes, they finish making the breakfast. It’s simple rice, miso soup, pickles and sesame potato salad as side dish.

They sit down to eat and Izaya still isn’t sure what Aoba has up his sleeve as his ace card. He has no idea what ‘exchange’ he had done last night but all Izaya can do is be on alert. Izaya had made sure that he plated all the food and poured all the drinks just in case Aoba is hiding drugs in his hands.

“Itadakimasu.” Izaya sips his drink before taking a bite of his rice. 

Izaya notices Shizuo glancing at him as he eats. Is he…. frowning? No, is he pouting? Izaya isn’t sure why Shizuo doesn’t look happy as he eats this time. Usually, he compliments Izaya’s cooking… 

“Is something wrong with the food?” Izaya asks, a bit worried. 

“No, it’s good. It’s just… I miss… never mind.” Shizuo looks away almost abashed before he picks up his rice bowl to eat. Izaya ponders for a bit what it might be but isn’t quite sure.

After a few spoonfuls of soup, Shizuo takes a sip of his water, except a sip is more like half the glass at once, which is weird even for Shizuo. Once he swallows his mouthful, Shizuo places down the glass with more force than usual and coughs, making a face.

“Something must be wrong with the water pipes…maybe rust.” Shizuo grumbles. “Izaya, is there something weird about the water to you?”

Izaya sips his water carefully to taste it while glaring at Aoba. 

“No… everything is fine on my end. Can I?” Izaya holds out his hand to ask for Shizuo’s cup.

Shizuo waves Izaya off. “No, no, if I got a buncha rust or something I don’t want you drinkin’ it…” Shizuo shakes his head a little too hard. Like he’s trying to clear a headache or fuzziness which makes Izaya very worried. Was the water drugged? If so, when?!

“I’ll just get another glass.” Shizuo stands up to go pour his glass out in the kitchen but stumbles into the counter, spilling the water.

“No, I insist. Let me…” Izaya quickly gets up. Especially when he sees the _ little fucker smirk devilishly  _ next to them.

Shizuo slides down to the floor along the counter into a slump. He holds his head in his hands and scratches at the collar of his tee-shirt. 

“Fuck, it’s hot… what’s going on…?” 

Izaya quickly comes to his side and touches his forehead. There’s no change in temperature but… Shizuo is shaking.

“S-Shizu-chan? Are you feeling okay? What’s wrong?”

Shizuo shakes his head at Izaya’s first question. “Somethin’s wrong. But I don’t- ’m dizzy ‘n hot…” 

“Hey, do you want to lay down on the bed?” Izaya tries to help Shizuo up. 

“Yeah…” Shizuo nods and reaches up with one arm to grab at the edge of the counter to pull himself up while he clutches Izaya to his side with the other. 

It’s a struggle but eventually, Shizuo hauls himself into an almost standing position, leaning his weight onto the counter. The bed isn’t far but getting there in this state is a struggle. With Izaya’s help, Shizuo manages to get to the bed. He clings to Izaya tightly, and Izaya’s never seen Shizuo shaking this hard before. So sickly or in pain. Izaya bites his lower lip and he wants to glare at Aoba in anger but for now, his attention is fully on Shizuo. While his back is turned, Izaya doesn’t even care if Aoba drugs another glass of water, he’s got other plans for the little shit.

“Izaya… I’ll be okay but… but don’t go outside, lock the door and cover the windows and don’t let anybody in, okay?” His eyes are unfocused and he keeps touching Izaya’s face. 

“Silly Shizu-chan! Don’t worry about that stuff! I’ll take care of it so you rest, okay?” Izaya tells him anxiously as he places his hand on top of Shizuo’s, lowers the alpha to his pillow, and pulls up the blanket.

“Just be safe.” Shizuo sighs one last time before passing out.

“Shizu-chan? Shizu-chan?!” Izaya shakes Shizuo when he doesn’t respond. 

“He’s not dead you know.” Aoba sneers behind Izaya.

Izaya turns and glares at the little shit with the grin.

“Okay, that’s enough damage. What did you do?!”

“Nothing.” Aoba shrugs insufferably.

Izaya grabs the boy by the collar and drags him a few feet to slam the boy against the wall, bashing his head against it. The boy yelps in pain.

“I don’t think you heard me the first time.  _ What _ did you have him drink? I poured the water myself.”

“Well, I know which cup is his by now. He likes the larger cup with the handle. I smeared something on the bottom of the cup last night.” The shithead shrugs, clearly proud of himself. 

Izaya grits his teeth and narrows his eyes. “What kind of drug is it?”

“Who knows. Maybe it wasn’t even-ow, ow!” Aoba grits his teeth against the pain as Izaya grabs the bastard by his hair and drags him to his cage. Then he locks him in.

“You do realize I can unlock this cage any time right?” He sneers and Izaya gazes down at him calmly. 

“Yeah. I know.”

Then Izaya goes to the toolbox to grab a hammer. It’s just a small hammer but when Izaya comes back with it, he sees Aoba visibly pale and flinch. Huh… Izaya makes a mental note that Aoba doesn’t like hammers. Then he pounds away at the lock.

“W-what are you doing! You’re bending the metal!” Aoba yells but is unable to stop Izaya since Izaya will gladly hammer his fingers next if Aoba tries to stop him.

“Yep, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“How the hell do you expect me to get out of this cage then?!” His voice sounds a bit shrill for once. Good. 

“I don’t,” Izaya says cooly. Once done destroying and bending the small lock into an unrecognizable lump, he starts dragging the cage to the bathroom. Luckily Aoba is small so his cage is small. Meaning it can fit inside the ridiculously small doorway and then the shower tub. Well, it actually doesn’t fit inside the tub perfectly after Izaya struggled to lift it and dropped it. It’s crooked and Aoba manages to look a bit petulant about his situation now that he’s stuck inside.

“What? Are you going to let starve me in here?” Aoba jeers. Izaya shrugs again, just like how Aoba had given him a shrug for an answer before. “Depends on your answer. What did you drug him with?”

“It’s not a big deal.” Aoba rolls his eyes. “You know I don’t want to actually kill the guy.”

“Oh yeah? Well, let me know once you start feeling like you want to give me a more proper answer,” Izaya walks out of the bathroom. He has to take care of Shizuo. 

Aoba starts whining but Izaya tunes him out. He quickly gets a small towel and a bowl of cold water. He comes back to sit next to Shizuo and checks his temperature. His body temperature seems warmer but not at a feverish level. What really worries Izaya is that Shizuo continues to shake and that’s not a good sign. Is this a sign of overdosing? Or is it a strong stimulant? Izaya had thought that Aoba had wanted Shizuo for himself, his own alpha. Perhaps Izaya had been wrong all along and Aoba had a different plan?

The worst he can think of is that this fucker works for Nebula or knows about Shizuo’s class and sold the information. Perhaps the drug is to disable him while the swat team is on its way here? There’s a really low chance of that happening so Izaya dismisses the idea for now.

There’s not much Izaya can do but pull up the blanket and rub Shizuo’s arm. Maybe he’s just cold...?

Izaya goes back to his cage and grabs his blanket and Shizuo’s shirt. He piles them on top of Shizuo. He also grabs more of Shizuo’s clothes from the drawer to pile on top. 

Despite all this Shizuo continues to shake and shiver as if he’s getting cold.

“Shizu-chan…” Izaya whispers, worried. He lays his head on top of Shizuo’s chest. “Can you hear me…?”

Silence, save for Shizuo’s heavy breathing. And Aoba’s whining. 

Izaya sighs as he closes his eyes and thinks.

It occurs to him once more that he can run away right now. He could have any time. Once he practiced how to unlock his cage and learned Shizuo’s schedule. That practice was mainly so he could escape in case there was fire while Shizuo was away though. However, the fact remains that he could run away whenever he wanted. Freedom from Shizuo is possible. At least theoretically.

He feels like that man in the jail in that one allegory. The man tries to escape the jail and each time he almost dies. So when finally a hole is blown in a wall for him to have a clear escape, he laughs and shakes his head, saying “You won’t fool me again. Once I step out, fate will try to kill me.” And he refuses to leave his cage out of his own volition.

Still. Being with Shizuo has its ups and downs but for now, Izaya chooses to be here. Izaya still struggles with his decision to stay and he still hasn’t decided if he wants to be Shizuo’s mate but… Shizuo provides security for now. And perhaps he can mold the S-class man to be someone Izaya can…

Izaya stops thinking that line of thought as his face flushes. Right now is not the best time to be thinking about mating and possible futures. 

That’s when Izaya realizes something. 

The scent in the room… has changed. It’s also why Izaya’s thoughts had wandered to something he rarely thinks about. 

Izaya starts to tremble, hoping against all odds that it’s not what he thinks it is. He moves away from Shizuo quickly and pulls off the covers.

Unfortunately, despite Izaya’s desperate hope, Shizuo has a massive erection. 

Izaya groans inwardly. He had thought that there would be a high chance that Aoba used an aphrodisiac but then Shizuo was knocked out. Did Aoba want to use some date rape drug?!

Beyond angry, Izaya marches to the bathroom and slams the wall to demand an answer.

“Aoba!” Izaya shouts then pauses.

The young boy is curled up in his cage, his back turned to Izaya and he’s shaking hard. Almost as hard as Shizuo when he…

…

When Shizuo was trying to calm himself despite his arousal during Izaya’s heat.

Izaya’s fists tighten briefly. Ah, that’s right. Izaya has some resistance to Shizuo’s pheromones because of his class while most probably can’t even….

But when Shizuo’s in full arousal, even Izaya couldn’t resist him. If this amount of scent in the air causes such reaction from this boy…

‘ _ He really is a D-rank _ .’ Izaya almost pities the boy. 

“Aoba.” Izaya remains stern. “If it’s an aphrodisiac, fine. I need to know if it’s harmless and if it’ll just pass through him. Also, I need to know how long it’s supposed to last.”

Aoba turns and hisses, his hands on his crotch and squeezing hard in agony. 

“W-what is he?! I… I’ve been with enough alphas to know this…. I’ve never felt… such powerful… scent…”

Izaya cuts off Aoba by kicking his cage. 

“I said, tell me if Shizuo is going to be okay and how long this is supposed to last. I need to know NOW.”

“A-and you! How… how can you… are you a beta?!” Aoba looks stunned as Izaya seems not as affected. 

“No. But my resistance won’t last much longer. I’m going to probably go crazy in few minutes unless you fucking answer my question.” Izaya isn’t really lying as if that aphrodisiac indeed just started and if it’s supposed to last several hours, they’re both in trouble.

“Oh god I… I didn’t think…. Is he really an A-rank?” Aoba bangs his head against the cage bars and shudders hard, trying to hold back his orgasm from just the pheromones alone. “I thought at best… he’s B. You live in such a …  _ nnngh _ … shitty place! I’ve...I’ve been with A-ranks before but this is… completely…!”

“Paralyzing, yes, I know. Answer my question.” Izaya grabs Aoba’s hair through the bars and yanks hard so the boy’s glazed eyes can look at him before they completely lose their focus. “How long is this supposed to last?”

“N-not long. It… it’s not supposed to hurt him. Just… aaah…. Aaah…!” Aoba starts drooling and panting harder and Izaya feels disgusted by staring at his passionate face. Izaya shoves the boy back into the cage and does him a favor.

“AAAaaaah!!!!! Th-that’s COLD!” Aoba screams as Izaya turns on the shower. There’s only one temperature, after all.

“Yeah. Hope that’ll help you cool off.”

“T-turn it off! Turn it off!!” Aoba screams but Izaya leaves the bathroom, unsympathetic. It’ll be hard to masturbate in a cold icy shower. Hopefully.

Now that Izaya’s facing Shizuo again, he’s at a loss at what to do. If these pheromones grow any stronger, it’ll be Izaya’s turn to be lost in ecstasy. 

Izaya sighs wearily at the inevitable.

* * *

_ It’s early spring, just warm enough for Shizuo to open the front door. He knows his little omega is prone to cabin fever but he just couldn’t stand to risk Izaya catching a cold. _

_ Shizuo had found ways to keep Izaya entertained throughout winter, so it wasn’t that bad. _

_ When Izaya first started to get restless Shizuo took care of it by fucking him on the kitchen table, the hard surface making Izaya moan for more. _

_ When Izaya got bored after that Shizuo fucked him against the wall. All four of them and in each of the corners where Izaya begged to be trapped in and have his ass ground hard. _

_ Then Shizuo is pretty sure Izaya turned it into a game. More and more often Izaya would start whining about how bored he was until Shizuo grabbed him to fuck him in a different position over some piece of furniture. Shizuo didn’t even think it was possible but they had fucked on the couch and with Izaya hanging off the couch in at least six different positions before Izaya finally got tired of it and they moved on to the tiny corner desk. And there, Izaya had managed to figure out at least four new positions for fucking. _

_ But they don’t have enough different pieces of furniture to be satisfied with just that all winter. _

_ Then Shizuo started to be more proactive about finding ways to entertain and excite Izaya. He started off simply by having Izaya sit on his face but after he did that a few times it was clear Izaya wanted something new. _

_ So Shizuo tried tying Izaya up next. Shizuo hadn’t tied him up since… well, since he last had to. This time it was just for fun. Luckily for Shizuo, Izaya seemed to have a small kink for being tied up so that game lasted a while. They went back to every piece of furniture while Izaya was tied up by his wrists or ankles or his entire body, Shizuo fucking him senseless each time. _

_ He played with Izaya’s sleeping body until he got hard and then started to fuck Izaya in his sleep. When Izaya inevitably woke up he was adorably dazed and confused before he started begging for Shizuo’s cum - and then he started begging to drink Shizuo’s milk. Shizuo gladly gave him plenty of his milk since Izaya had learned to deepthroat him properly. _

_ All winter Shizuo relentlessly toyed with Izaya’s nipples before, during, and after fucking him. After about a month Izaya’s nipples became beautifully swollen and sensitive and even started to lactate - as if Izaya could be pregnant. _

_ But now it’s warm enough for Izaya to go out into their garden area. Izaya walks barefoot through their garden and collects various herbs and flowers to add to the bath Shizuo is warming for him. His swollen, perky nipples are visible underneath the loose and thin nightgown before he takes it off to step into the wooden bathtub. _

_ “Shizu-chan, wash my back,” Izaya demands as he sinks in deep into the warm water filled with fresh spring flowers before sitting up straighter with a smirk. Because he’s a brat who knows Shizuo can’t resist him. _

_ Shizuo takes off his shirt so it doesn’t get wet before dunking his hands into the fragrant water to lather up the soap bar. He gladly washes Izaya’s back and takes his time massaging the omega’s muscles before his hands wander over to Izaya’s chest. Which Izaya was expecting, of course. _

_ “Nnngh…” The omega moans when Shizuo gropes Izaya’s still relatively flat chest. The alpha massages his chest for a bit before pinching his nipples, feeling a bit of warm milk drip onto his fingers. _

_ “D-don’t stop. It feels really good…” _

_ Shizuo continues to massage Izaya’s tender chest, being gentle enough so he doesn’t accidentally cause Izaya any pain. He keeps going until he can feel another drop of warm milk leak out without even having to squeeze Izaya’s nipples. _

_ He spins Izaya around to face him and pulls his omega close so he can take a nipple into his mouth to suck on it greedily. _

_ “F… fuck me Shizu-chan.” Izaya breathes heavily, his chest heaving.  _

_ Shizuo doesn’t do as Izaya says right away because it tastes so good. He switches to suck on the other nipple to give them equal attention. _

_ “S-Shizu-chan…! Nnngh… aaah… aaah… oh… I …. I love your tongue, haa-aah! Ahhn… and… your teeth when y-you... Nngh… Shizuo...!” _

_ It doesn’t take much more until Shizuo is too hard to tease Izaya anymore. Although… this does make him think that if Izaya starts lactating too much it might be a good idea to bottle it and save it. Male omega lactation without pregnancy is very special and it would be crazy to waste it. _

_ He pulls away from Izaya’s nipples and licks his lips before capturing Izaya’s into a kiss. _

_ “Turn around if you want me.” He rasps over Izaya’s lips. _

_ Izaya eagerly turns around in the tub and lifts his ass high into the air. He spreads his ass without hesitation and uses his fingers to expose his already dripping hole. Izaya has no shame when it comes to his alpha. _

_ Shizuo’s pants are down in an instant and the only amount of preparation he feels Izaya needs is a few licks of Shizuo’s tongue. Even that much of a wait has Izaya whining and begging petulantly so Shizuo doesn’t waste any more time before lining himself up and pushing inside. _

_ “Haaah!!” Izaya gasps as Shizuo thrusts inside him then he groans lowly. “D-deeper…. Hurry!” _

_ Shizuo doesn’t bother to tease Izaya this time. He drapes his body over Izaya before thrusting in as deep as he can. _

_ “Aaah! Yes! Yes…! Nnngh… I… I can feel it in my- oh!….” Izaya groans and lifts his ass even higher as he places his cheek against the side of the bathtub for leverage. _

_ “It’s so deep, Shizu-chan… aaah! Aaah! Aaaah!” _

_ Shizuo reaches around to continue to massage Izaya’s chest. He wants to encourage Izaya’s body to make as much milk as possible. He’s pretty sure he read somewhere that ginger is good for increasing milk flow and they always have ginger growing... _

_ “Oooh.. aaah… there…! There… Don’t stop. Squeeze me there… aaah! And I can feel your cock so deep inside me! Aaah! It’s hitting my womb again and again! Aaah…! Shizu-chan, it feels so good! Aaah! Aaah!! I love your cock!” _

_ “I love you too…” Shizuo groans. “You’re so special… you’re perfect… my perfect omega…” _

_ Shizuo angles his hips up into Izaya and squeezes a bit harder before pinching Izaya’s nipples again. Izaya’s dripping from his ass and nipples into the bath water but neither of them cares. _

_ “Haaaah!!!” Izaya comes hard, his back arching from the intense orgasm. “D-don’t stop…! M…. milk me dry, Shizu-chan!” _

_ Shizuo growls and does just as Izaya says. He can feel the pressure coiling inside him but he’s not done yet. He pounds into Izaya harder and Izaya has to grip the edge of the bath for stability. He keeps fucking Izaya and only slows his pace when Izaya orgasms again because he knows it drives Izaya crazy and makes him last longer. Finally, his knot catches and he comes deep into Izaya, filling up his body. _

_ Izaya collapses, panting but very satisfied. Eventually, he turns around to face Shizuo to smile and whisper, “By the way, Shizu-chan… let’s make a bigger bathtub next time so you can join me?” _

_ Shizuo thinks that’s a great idea. _

Then he blinks and he’s not out in the garden anymore. He’s in bed with what must be the warm weight of his omega on his chest, sound asleep as he should be. When did they go to bed again…?

Shizuo wraps his arms around Izaya tightly, his eyes still closed. Even after Izaya’s bath, he’s still so horny… Well, Izaya won’t mind if Shizuo messes around a little… or maybe has a sleepy, early morning fuck. Izaya never minds.

“Nnngh…” Izaya’s sleepy moan is music to Shizuo’s ears as he can feel his omega’s head shift on top of his chest. Shizuo nuzzles into his omega’s hair and breathes in the scent while he grinds his morning wood into Izaya’s hips. Izaya feels so good. He always feels so good.

_ “Aaah… ha-aah… aaah _ …” Izaya starts to gasp and moan softly as the friction grows stronger. Shizuo groans and wonders why either of them got into bed with pants on. It’s so inconvenient. He manages to clumsily fumble the waistband of his pants down and push Izaya’s shirt up so he can grind his bare cock against the soft skin of Izaya’s stomach. He wants to fill it up with his cum again…

Shizuo drags his teeth over where he knows the mating marks on Izaya’s neck are and sucks on the sensitive skin as he tries to work Izaya’s pants down with one hand.

_ “Aaah _ … S… Shizu… w...wait…  _ aaaah _ …!” Izaya’s hand catches Shizuo’s wrist while the other hand tries to push Shizuo’s face away before he marks him with a bite as he shudders hard.

Shizuo pauses in confusion and finally blinks his eyes open. Wait? Izaya never tells him to wait… It takes a while for his bleary eyes to adjust and… ugh, why is his mouth so dry?

Izaya is looking at Shizuo, wide-eyed and panting hard from arousal. His cheeks are flushed red as he trembles. He shakes his head, no, despite his obvious arousal.

Once Shizuo’s eyes focus he notices the rest of the room. This… isn’t their home.

“Izaya…? Where -?” Then Shizuo realizes what’s happening. This is his apartment. In the city that they still haven’t left. Shizuo groans in disappointment and lets go of Izaya. He digs the heels of his palms into his eyes. It’s so bright…

“What happened…?” He grumbles. “Why do I feel like shit…?”

“Y-you passed out.” Izaya stammers as he pushes down his shirt and sits up. Shizuo notices there are two tiny bumps through his shirt as his omega’s nipples are hard just like in his dream. Izaya flushes modestly and tries to hide them with his arms when he catches Shizuo staring.

Shizuo hastily shoves his erection back into his sweatpants. Now that he knows he’s not in the dream he realizes what he just did was a little… rude.

“And I think… you might be having residual effects. Maybe from a drug.”

“I was drugged…” Thinking back, that would explain why he blacked out.

“At least I think he drugged you.” Izaya frowns. Then he adds, “I know I should have gone back to my cage to sleep but… I wanted to be available just in case you needed me.” Then he adds hastily, “y-you know, for water. N-not for… w-what just happened. Like if you were thirsty or...” Then he grimaces and then mutters to himself, “okay, that all sounds sexual and wrong.”

Izaya is so cute when he’s flustered… that’s one thing the Izaya in his dreams is missing out on. Of course, he likes how confident and sexy Izaya is in his dreams but the modesty has such a refreshing cute factor -

Wait, that’s not what this is about.

Shizuo sits up and grabs Izaya’s upper arms, very worried now that he’s back to reality. “I don’t care about all that. Are you okay? Did anything happen while I was out?”

Izaya shakes his head. “I locked the doors like you said. I… I did have to open the windows to the bathroom so Aoba can have fresh air… and block the bathroom so he’d get less of your… you know.” Then after few seconds, he adds, “I did punish him so I’m not sure if you’re going to like that.”

“That doesn’t answer my question…” Shizuo grumbles when he realizes that Izaya didn’t answer if he’s okay or not, before picking up on another thing Izaya said. He blinks rapidly in confusion. “... Aoba? Who’s that?”

“You don’t remember Aoba?” Izaya looks surprised before his eyes narrows. “Did the drug… make you lose your memory too?”

Shizuo frowns. He doesn’t feel like there’s anything wrong with him. The name is familiar but Aoba… just doesn’t seem all that important?

He thinks back to before he passed out. Aoba… Aoba… there was someone else in the apartment, wasn’t there…?

_ Oh! The kid! _

Shizuo facepalms. “Oh shit, you’re right. Aoba… No, I didn’t lose my memory.”

“We really shouldn’t have kids if you forget the one you adopted a day ago.” Izaya giggles teasingly. Then he adds, “Ah, well. That is  _ if _ we decide to mate.” And he winks.

Shizuo flushes in embarrassment. “I’m good with kids!” He protests. “There was just a lot going on and…”

And Shizuo might have a tiny problem with tunnel-vision when it comes to Izaya.

“A lot going on?” Izaya does his signature tilt of his head as he questions Shizuo. “Like what?”

“Well, yeah, I was drugged for starters.”

“Oh that. I thought you were going to mention why you were grinding against me… as if you were having some dirty dream.” Izaya directly approaches the question as he looks away.

Shizuo’s ears burn at being caught but he supposes there was no hiding it.

“Well? Did you?” Izaya smiles softly. “Have a horny dream about me? I hope it was about me and not someone else.”

“Of course it was about you!” Shizuo blurts out, defending his faithfulness to his omega without even thinking of his own embarrassment before covering his big mouth. “I mean… Yes. I was just focusing on you and it’s hard to think about other stuff sometimes…”

Izaya bursts out laughing then leans up to kiss Shizuo on the forehead. “Well, that’s nice.” He sits back a bit and sighs tiredly. 

“So you had to put Aoba in the bathroom?” Shizuo looks over and sure enough, the doorway is covered in flattened out boxes held together with duct-tape. “Damn, turning the kid on was the opposite of what I wanted to do.”

“Well… yes.” Izaya says decisively after a thought. “In a manner of speaking. I think he’s behaving better now, hopefully.”

“So, it was Aoba…” Shizuo muses. There isn’t even a possibility in his mind that this could be Izaya’s fault. “Why would he want to do that?  _ How _ could he have done that?”

“He said he put the drug in the bottom of the cup that you always use. So when I poured the water it got mixed in, the water itself wasn’t drugged.”

Shizuo sighs and wraps his arms around Izaya’s shoulders, hiding his face in Izaya’s neck.

“Aoba is a trouble-maker…” Shizuo mumbles. “I have no idea how to discipline a kid…” He confesses. Shizuo’s always known his biggest weakness as a future parent would be tough love.

“He’s not our kid, Shizu-chan.” Izaya touches Shizuo’s head and softly pets his hair. “He grew up in a different environment with a different family. If… we have our own, we won’t let them grow to be like Aoba.”

“I guess that’s true…” Shizuo appreciates the perspective. And the fact that it seems Izaya’s thinking about kids too. Probably not as much as Shizuo is but… better than nothing. Shizuo kisses Izaya’s forehead. Izaya always kisses his so Shizuo is pretty sure forehead kisses between them are okay.

“Let’s go talk to him.” Shizuo stands up to confront Aoba but quickly sits back down and presses his hands into his lap when he notices his erection remains stubborn. He can’t walk up to a kid like this! “Let’s go talk to him… in a minute.”

Izaya notices the erection too and his face also flushes as his hands pull down his own shirt for some reason. Shizuo figures Izaya must be feeling uncomfortable…

“Um, could you get me some water?” Shizuo asks quietly. “Without the drugs, please…” He chuckles weakly at his own bad joke. 

Izaya squirms a bit and with a hanging head, he quietly admits, “I...I can but… I also have an erection.”

Shizuo groans as excitement spikes up his spine at those words. That doesn’t help at all!

“Do… you want me to…?”

“W-we shouldn’t. A-Aoba… and the wall is thin and…” Izaya continues to look flushed and ashamed.

“Right, right…” Izaya’s right about that. There’s just cardboard between them and Aoba and Shizuo could never do that if there’s a chance a minor could hear it!

Izaya leans his head on Shizuo’s shoulder and sighs softly again and Shizuo realizes, it’s actually due to the fact that Izaya’s been trying very hard to keep himself from panting. He’s trembling now. 

“S-sorry. I need… I’ve been holding it in for a few hours now. Just let me… rest a little.” Izaya closes his eyes and breathes into Shizuo’s scent.

A few hours? Has Shizuo really been out for a few hours??

He hugs Izaya tightly. He feels bad for not pleasing his omega but… there’s a kid a few meters away. They can’t seriously…

Well… maybe just Izaya, if they’re really careful. There’s no way in hell Shizuo wouldn’t knot at this point so he would be better off waiting until his hard-on goes down on its own. But Izaya’s would be quicker to just take care of, probably, and he doesn’t get cum everywhere… well, he does get pretty wet though…

Shizuo continues to weigh the pros and cons, biting his lip in thought.

If he’s been out for a few hours then Aoba has probably been locked in there for a few hours. They need to fix this as quickly as possible. Troublemaker or not, a kid doesn’t deserve to be locked up in a cramped room like that for hours.

Shizuo throws the blanket over Izaya’s head and lays him down on the bed. 

“If we cover the scent like this and you be quiet… Do you think we can get away with it? Just you, I mean.” Logically, Shizuo still can’t justify getting himself off.

“....” Izaya takes off the blanket and throws it over both of them. It’s dark inside the blanket but cozy. Shizuo can feel a fingertip touch his lips.

“I’ll try to be quiet if you can. Besides… you give off an immense amount of pheromones just watching me.” Shizuo can’t see it but he can hear that teasing giggle in Izaya’s voice that he’s grown to be fond of.

Shizuo’s a little embarrassed about being called out again but Izaya is right, again. Regardless, he has permission from Izaya now. He nods in understanding before tucking Izaya’s face into his neck to muffle any sounds that Izaya will make and pushes Izaya’s pants down his hips just far enough to grab his cock.

“C-can I bite you… if I need to… muffle my voice?” Izaya’s voice hesitates, “I know that sounds very hypocritical since you can’t bite me but…”

Shizuo gasps and bites his lip to muffle his own groan at the thought of Izaya biting his neck. His cock twitches in excitement against Izaya but he ignores it.

“Yes…” He whispers. “Fuck, yes…”

“Alright… please take good care of me, okay?” Izaya’s voice is soft and trusting.

Shizuo nods and turns his head to kiss Izaya’s hair. “I will. I promise. I’ll always take good care of you…”

He strokes Izaya’s cock upwards slowly. He knows they have to make this fast but he doesn’t want to hurt Izaya.

“No… not like that,” Izaya whispers into Shizuo’s ear, his voice suddenly sounding even more seductive than before in the dark. “I want… your crotch rubbing against me instead.” 

Shizuo groans and rests his forehead against Izaya’s shoulder. “Izaya, I can’t, that’s… that’s such a bad idea…”

“Make it fast… please. Besides, we need to take care of your… erection too. This is killing two birds with one stone.” Izaya lightly nibbles on Shizuo’s earlobe.  “Please…”

Shizuo strokes Izaya a bit faster, keeping his hips stubbornly away from Izaya’s. “I’m gonna knot…” He admits, trying to convince Izaya to drop the idea. “I’m going to knot because you’re here and it will be a mess and there will be no way to make it fast.”

“That’s okay. I like your knot.” Izaya’s voice is so sexy right now, almost like a siren’s voice enticing him to the dark side. “Well, it is rather intimidating,” Izaya giggles, but then goes back to whispering,  “but it’s not going inside me right now so it’s okay. We’ll clean up in the kitchen sink afterward.”

Shizuo swallows hard. Why is Izaya making this so difficult right now? All Shizuo wanted to do was accept his blue balls and give his adoptive son a talking to about drugging people non-consensually and then move on with his day.

“But my pheromones… in the kitchen…” Shizuo protests weakly. He’s trying to stop stinking up the whole apartment.

“We’ll open the windows to let the air out after this,” Izaya moans softly into Shizuo’s ear. “Please hurry… I can’t… I need you.” 

Shizuo finally snaps. “Okay, okay, I just… Okay…” Shizuo gasps. He can’t take it anymore. He hastily pushes his own sweatpants down just enough to free his cock and grabs Izaya’s ass to grind against him hard, moaning into the pillow behind Izaya’s head.

“Haaah…! Oh god…” Izaya bites into Shizuo’s shoulder and groans, “Nnnnngh…!”

“Sshhh…” Shizuo reminds Izaya to be as quiet as possible. He kneads Izaya’s ass in his hands greedily and eases his pace into rolling his hips slowly.

Izaya nods slowly and whimpers.

“ _ Nnngh… nnngh… nnngh…. Nngh _ ….” Izaya moans steadily as his mouth is covered over Shizuo’s shoulder with each of Shizuo’s thrusts.

Shizuo’s finger creeps between Izaya’s ass cheeks to press against his entrance. He rubs Izaya’s rim with his index finger as his hips buck more erratically like he wants to fuck Izaya right now.

“ _ Haa-aaah! _ ” Izaya gasps as he feels the finger. “S… Shizuo…!” He breathes his name before going back to covering his mouth again. He doesn’t deny him or tell him to stop. He keeps his knees apart and invites Shizuo to continue to fondle him as he pleases… almost like how Izaya submits in Shizuo’s dreams.

Shizuo growls into the pillow and bites instinctively as his hips thrust against Izaya a little faster. He pins his omega to the bed beneath him and pushes his index finger in deeply, knowing from experience how to curl it up just right...

“ _ Hnnnnngh _ …!!!” Izaya tightens up around the finger but doesn’t come instantly this time. His teeth sink into Shizuo’s shoulder reflexively instead. As an apology, he sucks and licks the bite.

“S…. Shizuo…” Again Izaya whispers and moans, this time moving his hips to meet with Shizuo.

The bite only turns Shizuo on more. He can normally last much longer but when it’s Izaya it feels impossible. His knot is already starting to swell and he grinds it hard against Izaya’s cock for more friction.

He pulls his finger out halfway before thrusting it in again, fucking Izaya with the one finger. He knows that Izaya took a lot more than this when he first got to Shizuo’s apartment but Shizuo doesn’t want to push him to take any more when he doesn’t need to, to come.

“ _ Hnngh..! Ahh-aah! Nnngh _ …” Izaya’s fingers tighten around Shizuo’s shoulder and his asshole tightens more too. “I didn’t think…  _ nngh _ …”

Shizuo grabs Izaya’s thigh with his free hand to wrap it around his hips.

“Didn’t think…?” Shizuo grabs his own cock to squeeze his knot before taking their cocks together in his hand to stroke them in time. “Do you want me to stop?” 

He continues to drive his finger into Izaya, clearly not very interested in actually stopping. 

“N-never mind. Just don’t… stop now.” Izaya’s voice sounds so small.

Shizuo growls possessively and angles his finger up into Izaya’s prostate to rub it directly. His knot pulses against Izaya’s cock in his grip, getting a little bigger. Izaya is so perfect for him. He wants to mate with Izaya so bad already…

“ _ Haaaaah _ !! _ Hnn… hnnngh _ …!” Izaya’s knees wrap around Shizuo tightly as his back arches. He’s closer. His teeth sink into Shizuo again as if he’s afraid of letting his voice be heard. Regardless, Izaya’s ass is leaking so much fluid that Shizuo’s finger make squirting sounds as it thrust in and out.

Shizuo can’t help but imagine Izaya marking him as his mate. Not all alphas want mating marks from their omegas but Shizuo wants them. He wants them so badly. He wants the physical proof of Izaya’s desire for him written all over his body.

Shizuo isn’t thinking anymore when he presses in a second finger. It slips in easily with how aroused Izaya is and he rubs Izaya’s prostate with both fingers.

“ _ Haaah _ !!  _ Haaah... Haa… hnn… nnn _ … S… Shizuo... You smell… you smell so…good…  _ a-hnnnn _ .” Izaya pants hard as he couldn’t help but moan his name before biting his shoulder again and coming hard. He thrusts his hips so that his cock slides against Shizuo’s, perfectly in sync.

Shizuo moans loudly into the pillow and nods mindlessly in agreement. “You too…” He groans into the pillow. “It’s so good… so good together.”

Once Izaya’s hips stutter to a stop as his orgasm dies down Shizuo lets go of Izaya’s cock to just focus on his own. He wraps his fingers around his knot to form a tight fist and rubs the tip of his cock against the small pool of Izaya’s cum and his own precum that’s formed on Izaya’s stomach as he jacks himself off as fast as possible.

Izaya stops biting Shizuo to breathe. He pants hard as there’s very little oxygen under the stuffy blanket. “S… Shizu-chan... oh god… your… scent…”

It’s so hot and the scent of Izaya is dizzying. Shizuo wants to breathe in the scent of his omega forever, he doesn’t want to have any other scent in his nose ever again. Shizuo can’t stay in the pillow anymore where the smell isn’t as potent. He pulls his face out of the pillow and presses it into Izaya’s chest instead.

“Rub… against me. If you still need me.” Izaya whimpers softly as he offers his body.

Shizuo is so close already but he isn’t going to reject the offer. He knot is almost at its full size when he shoves his cock between Izaya’s legs to have it soak in Izaya’s discharge. Shizuo sucks on Izaya’s nipple through his shirt, wishing they could be off in their tiny home in the woods that doesn’t exist. 

“ _ Nnngh _ …! Oh god… it's so big,  _ aaah _ !  _ Nngh _ …! _ Nngh _ …! S… Shizu…  _ nnngh. _ .! So thick…!”

Shizuo bucks his hips against Izaya’s ass a few more times before his knot bursts. He comes hard between Izaya’s thighs, probably drenching the back of them in cum while he moans and whimpers into Izaya’s chest.

After several seconds of Shizuo panting as he comes down from his high, Izaya whispers, “did… did I feel good?” As if he could ever fail Shizuo.

Shizuo nods frantically. “Yes, yes, Izaya, you’re so good… the best… Ah, I could never want anyone else…” He strokes Izaya’s hair, his knot still coming like it could get Izaya pregnant this way.

“But you’ve been with many others before.” There’s a pout in his voice even if Shizuo can’t see it. “Vorona said so.”

Shizuo groans. “Izaya, please don’t bring up anyone else, you’re gonna make me sick…”

“Well… I figured it’ll make your knot shrink faster.” Izaya giggles naughtily.

Shizuo snorts. “Yeah, thanks.” He laughs dryly. Izaya’s not wrong though. Being reminded that he’s been with anyone who isn’t Izaya is a major turn-off.

“Mmm… now I wish I can nap but I guess we gotta clean up and let our rascal boy out of his punishment room.” 

Shizuo nods. His knot isn’t done yet but he lets Izaya go free after giving him a kiss on the cheek. Izaya cleaning up would be helpful and… Aoba is still a thing…. Unfortunately… That was their best time together yet and they can’t even enjoy proper cuddling...

Izaya throws the blanket off and sighs deeply. He massages his swollen thighs and grimaces at the surplus amount of cum on him as if it’s a bit gross. He sits up to quickly slide the window open to let the scent out.

Shizuo sighs. He hates having to open the window. It scares off everyone on the block and if there are any omegas in the area it doesn’t scare off, they end up hanging around outside his window trying to get his attention.

Izaya stands up and wobbles toward the kitchen, trying not to drip cum onto the wooden floor. Izaya’s so soaked and his thighs are swollen red, just like in his dream.

Without Izaya on top of him, Shizuo’s knot is going away a little faster but it will still take several minutes. Until then, the kitchen is all for Izaya.

Izaya strips off his clothes one by one and then wipes himself off with the cleaner part of the shirt. He tosses the dirty clothes into the laundry basket before getting a spare towel to wet it to clean himself even further. Even though his back is turned to Shizuo, his cute perky ass and red inner thighs are still visible from the entrance.

Shizuo groans and covers his face with the pillow. He really shouldn’t be watching Izaya if he needs his knot to go away faster. He needs to be thinking other things, like how he’s going to talk to Aoba about… well, basically anything.

Ugh, that’s doing a pretty good job of making his knot go away. He pulls his face out of the pillow for a breath of fresh air.

“I’m done,” Izaya chirps as he walks out of the kitchen, fresher and wearing more of Shizuo’s baggy clothes. He looks even more adorable with the shoulder still hanging off just a bit.

Shizuo nods and sits up. He’s a complete mess but at least his knot has shrunk considerably. It’s uncomfortable to walk but he makes himself do it anyway because a cold, wet cloth should do him good. He gives himself a cursory wipe down before dunking his head under the sink to cool off and have a nice, long drink of water that isn’t going to destroy his day.

He cleans himself more thoroughly while Izaya strips the bed of the messy sheets. They rinse them under the sink before putting them to the side for a more thorough cleaning later. For now, Aoba.

Shizuo takes another deep breath as the apartment continues to air out and looks to the cardboard-covered doorway.

Izaya holds Shizuo’s hand and gives it a squeeze to give him moral support before Shizuo yanks the flattened boxes out of the way to step inside.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: I hope people were not disappointed with Aoba loool~ Here's to more sexual tension~ Hope you guys liked reading it as much as we love your reviews!  
> Merry X'mas everyone and happy Holidays
> 
> Bad: Here's an extra long chapter for the wait. Finals week was especially demanding for me this semester but I hope you all will enjoy this update!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	17. Chapter 17

 

Despite what just happened Shizuo instantly feels guilty when he sees Aoba trapped in his cage, sitting crooked in the small tub shivering and covered in Shizuo’s two thin towels. He glances back at Izaya, who remains unsympathetic as he has his arms crossed. He’s not sure how he feels about it knowing it was Izaya’s doing. On one hand, Izaya likely protected both him and Aoba by locking the kid away, but on the other hand, there’s cold water still on the bottom of the tub. Is that the punishment Izaya mentioned?

He clears his throat as he steps inside as if Aoba couldn’t have heard them coming in when they were ripping the cardboard and duct tape off the doorway.

“Aoba…?” He says softly as he approaches the tiny, shivering boy whose face remains hidden. “We’re not mad, we just want to talk to you.”

The pile of towels shifts as Aoba shakes his head under them. “S-Stay away…” His voice cracks. He doesn’t sound like someone who’d poison Shizuo’s drink, nor does he sound like another omega successfully brainwashed by the system. He sounds like a terrified kid whose voice hasn’t even finished changing.

Shizuo kneels in front of the tub and steadies himself as he reaches through the bars of the cage to pull the towel off Aoba’s head. He approaches not because he’s an alpha and Aoba is an omega, he does it because he’s the adult responsible for him for now.

“Come on, let’s get you out of there and I’ll make you some tea.”

The towel comes loose to reveal Aoba’s damp hair and… flushed face.

… Guess that blanket wasn’t exactly… good.

Aoba ducks his head to hide his face. For all his advances before when he’s really faced with Shizuo’s pheromones, it turns out he really is just a kid. Or maybe he’s ashamed. Shizuo sighs and stands to lift the cage out of the tub. It’ll be easier for Aoba to get out when he has some room.

“Izaya, can you get him a change of clothes?” Shizuo turns to ask. Looking a bit vexed, Izaya sighs and goes out to dig for Shizuo’s ‘smaller’ clothes in the drawers.

He carries Aoba’s cage out into the room while Izaya sets the clothes out. He lowers the cage down and crouches again to unlock it only to find a lump of metal where the padlock was. He shoots a look at Izaya.

“He said he could pick locks so I had to do something.” Izaya shrugs.

Shizuo presses his lips together and he supposes that makes sense. There’d be no reason to do it if Aoba couldn’t pick a lock and Izaya knows that Shizuo can get him out. Still… He didn’t want Aoba to know.

But there’s nothing for it. He grabs what used to be the lock and snaps it off the rest of the cage as easily as one might open a can of soda and drops it off to the side to open the cage door.

Aoba looks up at the noise and sputters as Shizuo reaches inside to pull him out.

“How- How did you do that?!” The boy looks around quickly, probably looking for bolt cutters or some other kind of tool.

Shizuo decides not to answer and hands him the clothes Izaya picked out. “Go get changed. We have a lot to talk about.”

While Aoba slinks off to the bathroom to change Shizuo goes into the kitchen to make the tea he promised. “Do you want some?” He offers to Izaya. Izaya eyes the cups as if he wants some and mulls over the thought carefully in his head before nodding, yes; he wants some too. He probably is also very tired and wouldn’t mind something warm for the long ‘talk’ they’re going to have.

Once Aoba is changed, Shizuo’s clothes looking completely ridiculous on his tiny form, Shizuo motions for him to sit at the table. Aoba does so probably because he doesn’t feel like he has much of a choice in the matter and… Well, he doesn’t. Shizuo is going to ask him questions and Aoba is going to answer them. Even if he doesn’t want to, unfortunately.

Shizuo sets out the tea for all of them, not really sure how to begin. He doesn’t want it to be like a police interrogation but he’s not sure how it will go.

He decides to start with the biggest question.

“Why did you drug me?”

“....” Aoba doesn’t seem to want to answer at first before he pouts and confesses. “The drug wasn’t supposed to do that.”

Shizuo frowns at that. “What do you mean? Don’t you know what you put in my cup?”

“It’s just a normal aphrodisiac for lower ranks. It’s decently cheap. But… it can have an adverse effect on higher ranks. I’ve never seen anyone faint from it before.” Aoba mumbles. “I just wanted you to notice me as an adult. Not a kid.”

Izaya snorts and then coughs as he tries to hide his face before going back to sipping his tea.

“So you wanted Shizu-chan to get horny and make-out with you?” Izaya asks after clearing his throat.

“Well, I figured if he’s horny enough for several hours, he won’t care who he’s fucking.” Aoba smirks a bit. Izaya rolls his eyes at that. Meaning, Aoba had meant for both Izaya and himself to be fucked by the drugged alpha for hours.

Shizuo reels at that. “What the hell?” He blurts out, losing some of his composure. “Aoba, you’re like… twelve! That’s-”

“I am not twelve!” Aoba snaps. “Or thirteen. I’m sixteen, okay? I’m old enough to know how the world works.”

Shizuo flinches and can feel a headache coming on. “No, you…” He sighs. There’s no point in having this argument. One thing at a time. He can’t lose sight of the current issue.

“Okay, so you wanted to be my mate, right? But why? You’ve already been…” Shizuo doesn’t want to say sold and he certainly doesn’t want to think about the fact that mating is almost sure to happen after he’s sold. Tom said Aoba would go to a better place than where he came from. Shizuo just has to trust that.

“You’re only here for a week. We can’t be mates.” There are many more important reasons why they can’t and will never be mates but _one issue at a time, Shizuo._

Aoba looks down into his tea and grits his teeth. “You… seem like a good mate…” He says quietly.

Now that’s a lie. Well, not a total lie, but definitely not the whole truth. Shizuo thinks Aoba might’ve been going for bashful but he just seems pained. People who hardly know Shizuo have tried to be his mate before, so that’s not new, but there’s clearly something else going on. Shizuo doesn’t know what it is and he’s not sure he could get Aoba to say it without… making him.

“Sorry kid, I said he’s mine.” Izaya sips his tea, cutting off that possibility bluntly.

Aoba sneers, “I don’t see any mating marks. Unless they’re on your ass.”

“All in due time. I’m playing hard to get.” Izaya smirks and winks at Shizuo confidently.

“Well, guess I have plenty of time since I’m younger than you, old man.” It’s like their banter has caused both of the omegas to forget that Shizuo is there. Or they are choosing to ignore him. Shizuo is completely taken aback. He guesses he shouldn’t be surprised since he knew neither of the omegas was acting completely genuine in front of him but the extent of just how different they are is jarring. He’s happy Izaya seems to want to be his mate for sure but… the news is kind of spoiled by the circumstances.

“Like I said, he’s mine so you’ll have to go find someone else. Or, is that the problem?” Izaya’s eyes narrow briefly and suddenly he’s not so playful anymore. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? You don’t want to go home, is that it?”

Aoba flinches. Izaya hums a bit before continuing. “Let me guess. You have an abusive family. I saw what you were wearing when you walked in. Also, you have plenty of bruises. Are some of them from… hammers?”

He flinches even more as if Izaya has seen through him way too easily. It seems really uncalled for to Shizuo. Are the only two options for getting Aoba to talk this or Shizuo issuing a command? Is compassion really not an option for the kid?

“According to the Omega Act of 1954, unless you are mated, you must live with your guardian. I’m guessing then - ”

“Well you have it so easy, don’t you!” Aoba spits and interrupts Izaya. “You got an easy life with a nice alpha and…!”

“I live in a dumpster, it’s got its ups and downs.” Izaya shrugs. Shizuo quickly looks down. His apartment isn’t good but he thought it was kind of homey with the two of them, at least...

Aoba leans forward over the table, hissing in Izaya’s face. “I bet you’ve never been sold as a toy for the night to pay off debts.” His knuckles are white with how tightly he’s clenching his fists, his whole body taut with pain and bitter anger. “You don’t look like the type who’s had to crawl on his knees and beg. I’ve been sold to all sorts of people to pay off my stupid brother’s debts. Or win favors. I’ve been with disgusting, perverted alphas and betas and even omegas for as long as I can remember! An omega like you who has it easy has no right to keep a good alpha all to himself! At least share, why don’t you?”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Shizuo growls. Yes, Aoba was talking, but he can’t listen to this anymore. “Stop sniping at each other, both of you. It’s giving me a fucking headache.” His right leg is shaking anxiously. “Aoba, my friend Tom says you have a new home and that it’s a better place for you. It’s going to be fine.”

He sighs and digs the heels of his palms into his eyes. Okay, that got out of control, but that’s okay. It’ll be fine. He didn’t want to snap at either of them but he can fix this.

… Maybe.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you guys.” He looks back up at Izaya and Aoba who are both looking very unhappy but have at least been quiet.

“You can’t know that it’ll be better. Not until it’s too late…” Aoba mutters bitterly, just loud enough for Shizuo to hear it. It pains Shizuo to hear it but there’s nothing he can do.

_It’s too late._

Aoba’s already been sold off and Shizuo can’t save everybody. He can’t keep everyone safe. Shizuo remembers the father who begged him to take his daughter as a mate, he remembers…

_You failed._

He can keep Izaya safe. All he can afford to do is keep his mate safe and that’s hard enough as it is.

Shizuo takes a deep breath and starts counting. Kasuka tells him to count when it gets to be too much.

“What are you guys doing in a place like this, anyway?” Aoba grumbles, eyeing the cracked and exposed drywall through the awkward silence of Shizuo narrowly avoiding a little breakdown. “Only D-ranks and some unlucky Cs live in this part of town. I smelled both of you so don’t try to lie about it.”

Shizuo’s breath catches in his throat and he quickly gulps down some tea that he doesn’t even like just to avoid answering. What does he do? Should he order Aoba to forget about it? Would that even work?

When Shizuo doesn’t answer right away, Aoba continues, turning his suspicious gaze to Shizuo “I’ve been with A-ranks before. None of them… I’ve just never… experienced something like that.” Aoba flushes at the memory. “It was like… I was completely numb and helpless to the pheromones.”

“It is rather a crippling experience,” Izaya admits calmly as he sips his tea.

Shizuo flushes hard. “H-hey, that’s not my fault.” Not that it could be anyone else’s fault but still.

“And… I prefer to live modestly. That’s all.” That’s the honest truth of it, really. Aoba didn’t ask for his rank specifically so there’s no need to lie yet. “I lived alone until I met Izaya and I really don’t care about expensive things.”

Aoba doesn’t buy it. “Izaya-san seems to enjoy luxurious things. He doesn’t seem like a person who’d stay with an alpha who has a heart of gold but is broke as fuck like you.”

“We- We’re working on it. We haven’t been together _that_ long.” Shizuo immediately looks to Izaya for support.

Izaya looks mirthful as if he’s doing his best not to burst out laughing in Shizuo’s face. “Like I said, he’s mine. But there’s a reason we aren’t mates yet.”

“Cut the shit. You guys aren’t A-ranks either.” Aoba is done dancing around the real question. “I don’t actually care about your relationship issues with your alpha’s coupon-cutting. Tell me what the fuck is up with your pheromones. I’ve been with enough people to know you guys aren’t normal.”

Shizuo drinks some more tea and his leg shakes even faster. Fuck, what does he say? What can he say? He can’t tell the truth! But he’s such a bad liar!

Izaya looks at Shizuo, waiting to see if he’s going to answer or lie. When he sees Shizuo looking back at him in with complete panic written all over his face Izaya sighs and gives Shizuo a very serious look.

“Shizuo. We have to tell him the truth."

Shizuo almost spits his drink out. “Izaya, we can’t-!”

Izaya shakes his head solemnly. “No, the kid will figure it out eventually, we have to tell him the truth.”

 _No, Izaya, lie! Please lie, you’re good at lying!_ Shizuo desperately hopes that Izaya is bluffing and has something up his sleeve. He’s really not confident he could induce amnesia in this kid with a bump on the head and not, y’know, death.

By now Aoba’s looking at them, eyes darting back and forth with intrigue.

Izaya takes a deep breath and gravely says, “You’re right. We aren’t normal. In fact, Shizuo here is rather extraordinary.”

 _Oh no, here it comes._ Either a winning bluff or blowing their big secret. Shizuo’s always wanted to drop off the grid anyway but he’s not exactly prepared to do it with a giant like Nebula on his ass.

Aoba’s eyes widen then quickly narrow skeptically. But before Aoba can voice his opinion, Izaya drops the bomb, “Shizuo is a laboratory experiment that went wrong.”

_… Excuse me?_

There’s a dead silence before Aoba breaks it. “What the hell?! Do you really expect me to believe that?!”

Shizuo has to agree that it isn’t the most plausible lie but… He just has to shut up and trust Izaya. This is probably just like the jewelry store. Just shut up and let Izaya talk.

“No, it’s true,” Izaya says with sincerity that it makes even Shizuo suddenly unsure for some reason. “Next time you walk out that door, look carefully. You’ll find a wanted poster of me from Nebula Corporation with a decent amount of reward. Granted, I still think it’s rather ridiculously low. I should be way more than that.” Izaya scoffs as if offended.

“Are you serious?” Aoba looks at them incredulously.

“Dead serious. You see, I’m actually a scientist and Shizuo here was my test subject. Believe it or not, a year ago he was just a short and scrawny omega not much bigger than me.”

Aoba’s jaw drops. “You’re lying!” he says in disbelief. How the hell was he supposed to believe such a huge lie?! Even Shizuo has no idea. But… Maybe it’s one of those ‘so crazy it just might work’ things? No one in their right mind would seriously try to play off such a bad lie...

“You know Nebula Corporation. You’ve seen that I’m actually a decently ranked beta. And you noticed that Shizuo doesn’t quite act like a regular alpha and we’re clearly in hiding.” Izaya continues. “You see, my experiment had to do with the prevailing belief that alphas, betas, and omegas are born physiological equals because the secondary traits of their dynamics don’t emerge until later in life. I’m sure you’re familiar with both arguments. Some say a child presents as an omega because of their upbringing, some say it’s because it’s in them right from the start and no parenting techniques can make a bit of difference. Nature versus nurture and all that.

Because most of the scientific community is in agreement that it is, in fact, a result of genes, our team wanted to explore the possibility of changing an omega into alpha and vice versa with the advancing technology of gene alteration. After months of experiments, we arrived at the final stage where we could test on post-natal humans, which was strictly off the record. It took months of tests but I solely figured out exactly where to edit the DNA. I was given my little omega Shizu-chan to change into an alpha and it was a massive success! ...On the outside.”

Shizuo is almost offended by that ‘on the outside’ part but… Izaya has a point.

“W-wait. Wait. I don’t fucking believe this. You’re telling me that you’re some secret government scientist and that this guy used to be an omega?!” Aoba cringes at the bad science-fiction fairytale that Izaya is spewing.

“Yes,” Izaya says calmly. Shizuo supposes Izaya has one thing going for his story, at least. Even if this particular story isn’t true science fiction really only is fiction for so long.

“But Nebula only funded me to prove that theory wrong and since I refused to lie to play into their political game, they had to get rid of me and Shizuo, who turned into a much stronger alpha than he should have.”

Aoba huffs indignantly. “As if I’d believe this big, fat fucking lie?! Why the hell would you even tell me this if this is such a big secre…” then Aoba pauses as his eyes widen and his lips tremble. Shizuo doesn’t even know why but Izaya grins and it widens like a cat who’s just cornered a mouse. He’s barely keeping up with all this shit so he can’t even begin to try and figure out where the fuck Izaya is going with this...

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. But you guessed it right? If by any chance I am telling the truth and I really am a Nebula scientist that had to run away with a top-secret test subject, it means they were trying to erase me due to the danger that my experiment could bring. Probably because if word gets out that omegas can turn into alphas it’d cause worldwide chaos. And if you go to the Nebula to sell me out…”

“T-they will erase me too.” Aoba finishes, shaking a bit at the revelation. “T-that is. If I see the Nebula wanted poster.” Then he glares at Izaya. “That part you can’t be making up.”

Izaya shrugs nonchalantly. “Well, maybe you won’t find any. Maybe I did lie.”

“You’re such a dick!” Aoba manages to look angry despite being very shaken up.

“Well, you’re the one who wanted an abnormal explanation for Shizuo’s scent so you got what you asked for.” Izaya gets up to signify that the conversation is over.

“Why isn’t there any wanted poster of Shizuo-san then?” Aoba pouts and tries to find any holes in Izaya’s ‘truth.’ Unfortunately for Aoba, this story doesn’t have even an inch of truth that Izaya could have tripped over by trying to include.

“Because I took him before they had a clear photo of him after his transformation. They only have my photo. That’s why I’m the one who has to be trapped inside pretending to be an omega. Now stop trying to interrogate me. You already know more than you’re safe knowing.” Izaya walks off to wash his mug in the kitchen.

_So crazy it just might work. Nice going, Izaya._

“Then… Why are you guys like… _together?_ When did that happen??” Aoba questions.

Izaya sighs as he comes back from the kitchen with a clean hand towel, “We were acting you, little idiot. Get with the program. Now clean your cage with this towel so you can sleep inside it tonight.” He tosses the towel to Aoba so he has something to do instead of asking more questions.

Shizuo frowns. Acting? That’s a tougher lie to sell when they were obviously getting each other off right outside the bathroom Aoba was trapped in.

“Right. Acting.” Aoba scoffs. “I might be acting like I like it when my brother sells me off but you’re going to say that you’re only acting like you like getting fucked to your ‘alpha’s’ face.” Shizuo bites his lip as he anxiously waits for Izaya’s reply.

“Do you want me to tape your mouth shut?” Izaya crosses his arms together. “I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned I am not immune to Shizuo’s pheromones either. It’s your stupid drug’s fault so get cleaning.” Now that he is not ‘acting’ like an omega anymore, according to Izaya’s story, Izaya’s actually acting more and more in charge of the situation. He didn’t even bother asking Shizuo’s permission to punish the kid.

Aoba rolls his eyes, clearly not completely believing Izaya as he goes off to clean his cage. Shizuo notices that Aoba does take a moment to stare at the stacks of academic-looking books that do support Izaya’s story of him being a ‘scientist’ with an education beyond a normal omega’s. The boy frowns as if trying to make himself not to fall for Izaya’s story as he picks up his towel to wipe down the cage.

“Right. Well, if your _alpha monster_ wasn’t on the run I’d say send him to Hollywood for his ‘acting’.” With that last biting remark, Aoba scrubs down his cage with all the force of an angry teenager.

“Less talking, more cleaning. Next time, I’ll gladly hammer in the entire entrance so you have to pee in your own cage.” Izaya smiles sickly sweet at the grumpy, little omega.

Shizuo looks down into his empty cup and picks at the edge with a blunt nail.

_Alpha monster._

Maybe Izaya really is acting. He’s good enough at lying. Shizuo’s always known he was dumb but he had thought that his instincts about people weren’t bad. But maybe he’s wrong.

 

_It’s your pheromones._

Maybe Izaya really hasn’t warmed up to him at all. Izaya was finally starting to talk about mating and kids. Izaya had bitten his neck, although it didn’t leave a mark, and claimed him in front of Aoba. Calling it an act could’ve been just another part of the bluff, a big lie to match the rest of it, but Shizuo… Isn’t sure.

 _Izaya doesn’t want to live in a dump_.

By calling it an act, lie or not, it’s now on Shizuo to act differently. But he doesn’t know how to act differently. And Izaya isn’t… he isn’t going to give Shizuo any more hugs or hold his hand or kiss him on the forehead. He might not even want to wear the collar anymore. Now that they’re not supposed to be courting will Izaya be only acting distant or will he be acting as his true self?

_It’s only on the outside._

Either way, Shizuo doesn’t want to see it.

The cup shatters in his hand.

* * *

The stupid boy has it easy, with Shizuo being so caring. Getting him out of his wet clothes and bothering him with warm tea when the devil had just drugged him senseless with a heavy dose of probably illegal aphrodisiac and had planned a massive orgy between the three of them _just_ so that Shizuo would see him as an ‘adult’.  

Correction, Aoba isn’t really just a ‘boy,’ all things considered, Aoba is just three years younger than him. Izaya frowns a bit on that. At least it is enough of an age difference for Shizuo to not even consider Aoba while the alpha clearly is okay with Izaya as a potential mate.

Poor Shizuo doesn’t seem to see in him more than a young boy, however, much to Aoba’s dismay and Izaya’s triumph. Shizuo was so much into being the fatherly figure that if Izaya didn’t intervene, the ‘talk’ would have gone nowhere. If Izaya had a longer arm, he would pat himself on the back for that incredible story he just wove on the spot to save Shizuo’s ass.

Figuring out Aoba’s family situation wasn’t too hard. The pieces of the puzzle were there, all Izaya had to do was think of a logical way for them to all fit together into a picture. He is very glad that Shizuo _did_ stay quiet while Izaya spontaneously told a lie without giving him any direction or hint to do so. Izaya is learning that Shizuo can be smart, intuitively at least. Although, now he has to continue to keep up this lie that he is some government beta scientist and Shizuo has to act like an omega turned alpha.

Well, they’ll figure it out. They only have five more days or so anyway.

The part that did not go as planned was… Shizuo grinding into him. Izaya winces a bit at his sore thighs that still throb underneath his pants. He had just thought that maybe they’d just rub their cocks together with their hands and help each other out. He did NOT expect a full… whatever it was that they did!

Sometimes, Izaya forgets just how much sexually experienced Shizuo has, compared to him who lacks experience and imagination on that frontier.

Now, how to figure out what to do with this little dev…

*Crack*

There’s a sound of glass shattering which snaps Izaya’s attention away from washing his dishes. Now, what did that little idiot do? Izaya stomps back out only to be surprised to see Shizuo holding the broken glass.

“Shizu-chan, are you okay?” Izaya quickly grabs a wet rag to gather the broken shards. Shizuo doesn’t seem to be bleeding, at least.

When Izaya gathers the shards from Shizuo’s hand the blond doesn’t look up at Izaya. He doesn’t appear to have heard him and is deathly pale.

“...” Izaya grows silent and even Aoba stops cleaning his cage to walk over to see if everything is okay. Izaya snaps at the boy before he can come any closer to see Shizuo’s face. “Go back to cleaning your cage.”

Aoba rolls his eyes and turns back to his cage once more. Izaya quietly gathers the glass shards and dumps them into the trash can. Then he holds Shizuo’s hands together and helps him up to lead him outside.

They’ve never been outside without Shizuo’s permission. But Izaya decides, it’s really time they have a ‘talk.’ And he can’t have Aoba around to hear them.

Izaya closes the apartment door behind them. This is the only thick wall where Aoba won’t hear them at all if they’re quiet. He cups Shizuo’s cold face and whispers, “hey, talk to me. Are you okay?” Because clearly, something is _not_ okay.

Finally, Shizuo does respond with a jerky shake of his head. Izaya wraps his arms around Shizuo and gives him a hug, placing his chin on the man’s huge shoulders. Shizuo is so tall, Izaya actually has to be on his toes to even try to place his chin on him.

“Are you cold?” No, Izaya knows that’s not the real reason. “Did I do something to make you angry?” And no, Izaya also knows that’s not the real reason since Shizuo doesn’t look angry either. He just needs to trigger any response from the man.

Shizuo shakes his head again and whispers back, “... Izaya… are you lying… no, I don’t want to know if you are… but I don’t…” He’s clearly a wreck and doesn’t actually know what he wants.

“What do you think… I’m lying about?” Izaya asks. He needs details. Because well, yes. He is lying about a lot of things right now so… he needs to know which specific lie so he can evade it.

It takes a long time before Shizuo responds again and Izaya patiently waits. “... Do you like me?” He asks in a small voice. He sounds like an insecure child.

“You know… I could have left when you were out cold just now. I even stuck around and endured your stupid pheromones.” Izaya tries to make light of the situation he was in with a small giggle. “So yes, hopefully. that answers your question.”

“But Aoba… and that girl, and… No one wants to mate me because they like me.”

“...” Izaya pauses as he realizes the situation Shizuo is stuck in. It’s his pheromones. Shizuo isn’t sure if people are in love with him because of his S-rank scent or because of him as a person. Well, that sure is a predicament if he’s really seeking ‘true love.’ Izaya doesn’t really believe in that nonsense but…

Shizuo continues before Izaya can answer. “... That’s because I’m bad, isn’t it?”

“???” Izaya now looks at Shizuo very confused, his theory thrown out the window. Searching his eyes for an answer, Izaya cups Shizuo’s face again. “Bad? Why do you think you’re bad?”

Shizuo shakes his head again and doesn’t look like he wants to answer that. But eventually, he manages to choke something out.

“You’re not… happy here…?” It’s still too vague for Izaya to interpret.

Izaya thinks on it, turning it over in his head and it makes a show of it as he bobs his head side to side to let Shizuo know, he’s thinking about it. “Well, happiness is kinda relative.”

Shizuo refuses to look at Izaya, looking at their feet instead. “I’m bad at being… an alpha…?” He tries again. Izaya didn’t really answer his question but Shizuo is obviously too far into his own head anyway.

“Pffffff….!!! Is that what you’ve been…. Oh god.” Izaya couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable Shizuo is right now. “Okay, I’m sorry I laughed.” Izaya quickly calms down because he shouldn’t have laughed. But honestly! Is Shizuo sulking because Izaya said he’s a bad alpha, he’s more like an omega?!

Izaya stands on his tippy toes and tilts Shizuo’s head down to touch their foreheads together.

“Hey, Shizu-chan. Can you hear me right now? Or are you trying to hide somewhere far, far away in some sort of guilt?”

Shizuo draws in a sharp breath and closes his eyes to avoid the contact.

“Hey, hey. Open your eyes and look at me.” Izaya commands but in a gentle, soothing voice.

Shizuo reluctantly opens his eyes but continues to avoid looking at Izaya. He lingers on staring at Izaya’s ear before managing eye contact.

“You’re not a bad alpha okay? I had to lie to the boy, that’s all. In fact, I stayed because I like being here. Well, I would like a few changes here and there but I figured I’d bring it up in time.” Izaya stares up at Shizuo as he says those words firmly.

Shizuo shakes his head yet again, even harder this time. Like he’s trying to shake something off or… out.

“No, Izaya it’s…” He takes another breath and closes his eyes again. “There’s something really wrong _here_ and I don’t… I can’t handle what it is.”

“....” Izaya doesn’t really understand Shizuo’s problem. Aoba was easy to figure out. Shizuo… however…

“Where is ‘here’ that is so wrong? This apartment? Or the world?” Because well, the world is fucked up, sure. “We can make it better together? One step at a time?” That’s probably a lot more commitment than Izaya would ever promise anyone but first, he needs Shizuo to come ‘back’ from this shocked state.

Shizuo sighs and finally looks at Izaya again. He looks like he’s settling on something when he says, “It’s everything… Sorry, Izaya, it’s just… it gets loud… here… sometimes.”

“...” Okay, Izaya knows something is really wrong now. Because the fucking building is silent like a graveyard every single day and night, to the point that Izaya sometimes wonders if there are any other tenants here. The walls are super thin so Izaya should be able to hear all their neighbors but he’s not heard a single thing.

“Alright. We’ll make it so the noise doesn’t bother you.” Izaya replies carefully, his thumbs caressing the blond’s cheeks like he’s a cute hamster.  “Anything else that’s bothering you?”

“....... How am I supposed to act like I don’t want to be your mate?”

“???” Izaya looks at him confused. “You can still act like you want to be my mate in front of Aoba, you know. I never said that you didn’t have a crush on your awesome and brilliant scientist.” Izaya smirks teasingly.

Shizuo flushes and looks away again. “I guess that’s true…”

“That’s better.” Izaya smiles when Shizuo actually flushes in embarrassment. Blushing is good. That means Shizuo’s slowly coming back. “I think it’ll be fun actually. He can watch the soap opera happening between us all he wants.”

“Yeah, you… you’re a really good actor…” Shizuo says, looking at the floor again and sounding anxious.

“Not really… Honestly, haven’t you ever lied to your parents that you did your homework when you didn’t? It’s pretty much the same thing.” Izaya shrugs it off and laughs again. Izaya isn’t actually the laughing type but he needs to do everything he can to make light of the situation. Shizuo seems to be somewhere in a very dark corner of his mind so Izaya is trying his best to pull him out of it.

Shizuo’s grim face cracks a bit when he chuckles at that. “I haven’t, actually.”

“You’ve never lied about not doing your homework? Tell me you lied about stealing cookies from the cookie jar?” Izaya gasps in dramatic surprise as he downplays his own ability to lie so well.

Shizuo snorts and actually brings his hands up to rest them on Izaya’s waist.

“I probably have tried to do something like that before, at least once, but I’m sure I got caught. I’m a horrible liar.”

“See, we aren’t too different after all.” Izaya pokes Shizuo on the nose with his finger. “Except I never got caught. Maybe I am a better liar then.”

Shizuo bites his lip and tightens his grip on Izaya’s waist. Izaya forces himself not to flinch at the pain. “But… what if you get caught this time? What if Aoba goes to Nebula?”

“If he believed my story, he’ll be too scared to go to the Nebula. And even if he does, well, we can always move? It’s not like you are particularly fond of this dump, are you?”

“No,” Shizuo agrees with a nod. “So, would you, I mean even if Nebula doesn’t come after us… Would you want to move anyway?”

“It’d probably be safer if we continuously move around, actually,” Izaya thinks on that and the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. “Sorry, it’s my fault. I’m the one on the run. And if you want to be my mate, you’ll have to be on the run with me.” Izaya winks. He’s pulling all his cards here to be as ‘cute’ as possible, in a different fashion. So far, the Izaya that Shizuo ‘knows’ is the one who tries to act passive and cute. More like some shy bunny. But if anything, his last ‘act’ with Aoba along with the jewelry store lie, clearly showed another side of him; the cunning side. He might as well go with that a bit more now. The more sides of him that Shizuo sees will probably make the blond trust him more as the ‘honest’ side. Or so Izaya hopes.

“Don’t be sorry, I’ve wanted to leave for a long time.” Shizuo rubs Izaya’s waist absentmindedly as he still looks like he’s thinking about something else. “What if we just move far away once… like really far…”

“How far? The moon?” Izaya giggles.

“There’s some nice… more rural areas.” Shizuo says shyly.

“But I like the city.” Izaya pouts as ‘ _cutely_ ’ as possible. _VERY CUTELY_ . _It’s important that they stay in the city!_

“... Forever?” Shizuo sounds very disappointed about that.

“W-well, we’ll get to that later. First, baby steps okay?” Izaya decides to pretend to be willing to compromise. Giving enough hope for a change should be good enough for a ‘healthy relationship.’

Shizuo nods. He doesn’t look happy but he looks satisfied enough.

“Are you feeling better? I think you look warmer.” Izaya coos gently as he rubs Shizuo’s cheeks. They’re not pale anymore, at least. The more Izaya rubs his cheeks, the warmer they seem to get.

Shizuo nods again. “Sorry about the broken glass.” He mumbles.

“Well, it’s yours, not mine.” Izaya shrugs. “Maybe we can buy even more cute sets of cups now. I want matching ones for you and me. How about that? Would you like that?” Again Izaya entertains the idea of them being together for a long time in the future. That always seems to make Shizuo feel better faster.

Shizuo nods quickly this time with a small, happy blush.

“I want a cute bunny one,” Izaya adds. “Maybe they have a lion one for you. Or would you rather get a puppy one and I get a kitty one instead?”

Shizuo shrugs. “Not sure… you can just get whatever you want for both of us. We’ll go out shopping together.” And maybe finally get that sushi dinner.

“I’d love that,” Izaya whispers this time, then wraps his arms around Shizuo’s neck to pull him down.

“Shizu-chan~ I know you’re worried that I’m lying to you all the time but…” Izaya lowers his eyelashes. “Would you believe me if I said… I’ve never kissed before?”

Shizuo blushes deeply as if they didn’t hump like bunnies under the sheets a half hour ago. “I- I mean… I guess so… how old are you again?” Shizuo seems to tease Izaya’s inexperience lightly.

“What, you don’t believe me?!” Izaya looks up and pouts hard. “I’ve never dated either.” Izaya purposefully puffs up his cheeks like a chipmunk with a mouthful of acorns.

“Sorry, sorry…” Shizuo chuckles. “It’s just… you’re so smart and beautiful.”

“Well, I never dated. And I never kissed.” Izaya pouts like a perturbed duck despite the compliment. It feels more backhanded anyway. “Do you believe me or not?”

“I believe you.” There’s still a small smile on Shizuo’s lips.

“Good.” Izaya’s still pouting like a kid when he mutters, “Since you keep thinking I’m lying all the time… at least believe me when I say… that I’m giving you my first kiss.”

And with that, Izaya leans forward and kisses him. Izaya is too short so he has to pull Shizuo down too but he manages to bump their lips together and presses. It’s not something to make him breathless but at that moment, the world stops for Izaya and his heart skips a beat. He’s never, ever, committed to anything or anyone. This is still the biggest trump card he has and he knows he must make sure that Shizuo will continue to trust him and his trust can’t waver anymore. And for that reason alone, Izaya’s willing to give him his first kiss.

Izaya had kept his eyes closed and for those few seconds, he felt nothing but the soft lips of Shizuo and the tingling sensation where they connected. Then he feels water drops fall onto his face and Izaya blinks open his eyes to look up at Shizuo staring down at him wide-eyed and stunned… with tears in his eyes.

Izaya pulls away and wonders if he did alright… for a first kiss. Maybe it was bad? Well, Shizuo seems touched but Shizuo’s also had plenty of better kissers. A bump can’t be all that good. So Izaya leans forward again and this time tries to lick Shizuo’s lips, uncertain if this is how they should be kissing.

Shizuo hiccups just as Izaya’s lips brush his for the second time before the blond brings his hands up to cling to Izaya’s back. He grabs at Izaya’s shirt desperately and leans forward as if he’s afraid Izaya’s going to change his mind. He parts his slightly quivering lips for Izaya and tilts his head to slot their lips together better.

“Mnnngh…” Izaya moans softly as Shizuo enters his parted mouth. Sweet lord, Shizuo knows how to kiss! Izaya reels when he feels the soft tongue lick inside his mouth and sucks on his tongue. It feels so incredible, his mind short-circuits from the sensation. He didn’t know it would feel like this to have someone’s tongue lick his or that the mingling of hot breath could be so intoxicating.

“S….Shizuo. Teach me…. _Show me_.” Izaya pleads between the kisses, encouraging him for more, knowing that Shizuo in his vulnerable state will surely comply. He needs Shizuo to feel in control so he won’t worry again that he’s lost Izaya.

Shizuo breaks the kiss to take a few hiccuping breaths and wipe the tears out of his eyes. “S-sorry,” he stutters.

“S-sorry?” Izaya pants roughly at the sudden break of their kiss. His lips are wet with saliva and it feels so cold without Shizuo’s lips on his.

Shizuo sniffs and scrubs at his eyes until they’re dry but still red. “I’ve just never had a kiss feel like that before…”

“Well… I’m glad I’m first for something in your long line of one-nighters.” Izaya smirks teasingly. But he keeps his arms hooked around Shizuo and he brings their bodies flush together.

“Right now… I need you to finish what I started.” Izaya whispers seductively into Shizuo ears. “Please show me how to kiss properly.”

Shizuo reaches up to cup Izaya’s cheek and his eyes lock onto Izaya’s lips.

“Okay,” he whispers rather ineloquently considering how much effort Izaya is putting into his words. But it doesn’t matter when he takes Izaya’s lips for himself.

He brushes his thumb over Izaya’s cheekbone and deepens the kiss by wrapping his other arm tighter around Izaya’s waist. This time it doesn’t hurt. This time, Shizuo’s hands feel protective and possessive at the same time. When Shizuo gently prods Izaya’s lower lip with his tongue to coax him to open his mouth Izaya complies, parting his lips to welcome him in.

“Shizuo…” Izaya moans for him as he feels Shizuo push his body against the door. He feels close and secure. He loves the sensation of Shizuo’s body’s weight and heat against him.

“Um, you just, do what feels good, I guess…” Shizuo offers quietly as the least helpful lesson ever.

“Mmm… don’t stop.” Izaya moans again. “I want more…” He begs because he wants Shizuo to feel special. He wants Shizuo to feel good and he wants Shizuo to know that he’s pleasing his omega. “Show me more…”

Their tongues dance against each other, the velvety feel titillating. Even as Izaya’s trying to seduce Shizuo, he himself is seduced. Shizuo really is very good at kissing. His hands roam and that too feels good. It’s completely different from the time that alpha had trapped Izaya into a phone booth and tried to molest him. Something about Shizuo is different. The way he touches him is caring. Protective. Loving.

‘ _A smart and caring one. But you know that already, don’t you?_ ’ Izaya remembers telling Aoba that same line of thought. And yes. Izaya knew that too.

The hand on Izaya’s cheek moves to curl into his hair and the hand at his waist starts to drift up Izaya’s shirt.

“Do I feel good?” Izaya asks between his gasps. “I want to make you feel so good.”

Shizuo answers by pulling Izaya back into another breathtaking kiss. He sucks on Izaya’s lower lip and kisses Izaya like he can’t get enough.

“Nnnngh… I want to make you feel as good as I feel right now, Shizu-chan…” Because, shit… Shizuo keeps sending him to heaven and back again over and over. They’re just kissing but already Izaya’s aroused again and wants another good hard…

Izaya shudders. No. They shouldn’t fuck. But god… he wants to very badly even though he’s never actually had real sex. Already his body wants Shizuo to ram him hard against this door and Izaya’s trying to resist, telling himself it’s probably Shizuo’s crazy pheromones talking in his head. He keeps telling himself he’ll regret it later, although right now, it feels like it’s the greatest idea ever.

“I do feel good. You taste so good…” Shizuo groans softly and rubs Izaya’s exposed back.

“Do you want another round?” Izaya teases. “Not sure if it’s a good idea but….”

“It’s a terrible idea,” Shizuo says reluctantly.

“Alright,” Izaya giggles. “Give me a few more kisses to calm me down?”

Shizuo pulls his hand out of Izaya’s shirt to take his face in both hands. He gives Izaya one more deep kiss.

“Nnngh… grind against me a little too. J-just a bit.”

Shizuo groans softly at those words. “Izaya…” He says with a low, warning tone.

“Damn, why did you have to adopt a kid right now. Such a cockblock tease you are, Shizu-chan.” Izaya gives Shizuo another pout, trying to see if these work better than his ‘wide, doe eyes.’

Shizuo sighs and rests his forehead on Izaya’s shoulder. “.... How long until the week is up again?”

“Five more days, I guess.” Izaya lets out a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It’s difficult, especially because Shizuo’s releasing his pheromones again but he wills himself to resist harder.

“Mmm… are you planning to fuck me senseless the moment he goes home?” Izaya teasingly whispers into Shizuo’s ear.

Shizuo growls low and turns his head to brush his lips against Izaya’s.

“Do you want me to fuck you senseless?” He whispers.

“No,” Izaya smirks. “I want you to earn it.”

And Izaya knows, no omega should dare say such a challenge to an alpha. No normal omega anyway. But Shizuo’s also not a normal alpha.

“What do you want me to do?” Shizuo rasps, nuzzling into Izaya’s cheek and sniffing him just a little bit.

“I’ll tell you later… all in good time. Right now, we gotta babysit this kid first.” Izaya sighs and closes his eyes. They’re both calming down now. And Shizuo is back to normal, at least on the surface. He hopes he doesn’t encounter that ‘dark’ Shizuo anytime soon. If need be, more kisses might turn him around. But in order to do that, Izaya must make sure that he himself is a prize worth fighting for. His kisses and sexual favors should always be something that must be earned and not given easily.

“I’ll do _anything_ to make you want to be my mate…” Shizuo’s voice is hoarse with sincerity.

“I know, darling.” Izaya smiles softly and genuinely as he pets Shizuo’s hair. Because he knows this alpha does love him wholeheartedly. “I know you will. Now, let’s go back inside okay?”

Shizuo nods and captures Izaya’s lips for one more kiss. It’s quick but still possessive and desperate. Izaya giggles and allows him that one stolen kiss.  

When they walk back inside Aoba’s standing in the middle of the room in a huff, his arms crossed with his rag in his hand. “What the hell took you so long? I got bored wiping down my cage a million times.”

“We were making out.” Izaya shrugs as he says truthfully. Shizuo’s flustered reaction is priceless because for once, Izaya didn’t bother to lie. Truth worked better anyway.

“Eww! Disgusting. I did not need to know that!” Aoba cringes.

Izaya shrugs, “Well, you asked.” He smirks back smugly as Aoba huffs and stalks off to the other side of the room. There’s really nowhere to go for the small omega though.

Izaya stretches as it’s time for bed now. It’s actually way past their bedtime. Although Shizuo had fallen asleep for a few hours, there were still several hours left until work. However, it is rather weird for the ‘beta scientist’ to crawl back into the omega cage since… the ‘truth’ is out.

Luckily, Shizuo seems to have caught the wind of this early as well. He coughs awkwardly and suggests, “Izaya. I think… we should just sleep on the bed today.”

Izaya smiles at him. “Of course,” as if that’s always been the case before Aoba has arrived.

Izaya gets the bed ready, closes the curtains and turns off the light while Shizuo locks Aoba back into his cage using Izaya’s lock. Then Izaya climbs onto Shizuo’s bed. It’s small but Shizuo holds him in his arms and keeps him from falling.

“S-sorry, it’s a bit small.” Shizuo murmurs apologetically.

Izaya shakes his head as he smiles and sighs softly, “It’s fine. You’ll keep me warm, right?”

Shizuo nods his head earnestly and Izaya closes his eyes with a smile, falling asleep while breathing in the scent of his alpha.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	18. Chapter 18

 

The next few days that Aoba is with them are fairly uneventful. All of them went out together to that sushi dinner Shizuo owed Izaya. While Shizuo doesn’t feel nearly as protective of Aoba as he does of Izaya, going out with two omegas to protect at once is not something Shizuo is in a hurry to repeat. Shizuo had to walk all the way to the A-ranked district with two leashes like a dog-walker. The people on the streets stayed out of their way but there were so many stares from people in awe and envy at seeing an alpha with _two_ young, healthy-looking omegas. Shizuo hates being stared at.

There was a particularly embarrassing moment when the tall, black man who works at the sushi restaurant spoke with a thick Russian accent, “Oh! Shi-Zu-Oh! Back again for more of our sushi? Very good! I see you brought I-Za-Ya’s younger brother! More sushi is good sushi!” It amazed Shizuo that the man could remember their names specifically since they had only eaten there once before and that was weeks ago. Plus, he’s damn sure he never gave out Izaya’s name and Izaya couldn’t speak. The man must have overheard Shizuo addressing his omega by name...

“No Simon, they aren’t brothers.” Shizuo sighed as they sat down. He didn’t realize that onlookers could perceive the omegas that way. The already unbearable stares from walking with two leashed omegas suddenly felt as though there could have been even more depraved thoughts behind them. Feeling a bit scandalous, Shizuo tried to act as natural as possible but was more fidgety for the rest of the outing.

Ordering for Izaya was easy, Shizuo knows he always likes the expensive stuff. Then he quickly found out that Aoba, being competitive in nature, wanted the exact same thing. By the end of the dinner, Simon waved goodbye to them happily while Shizuo’s anxiety over their limited amount of jewel funds went up. Still, they had one more thing to buy. Another lock since Aoba’s old one was completely destroyed.

Finally, after days of waking up with erections from having Izaya sleeping on his chest that he couldn’t do anything about, the last day Aoba would be with them arrives. Last night at the bar Tom had confirmed that his company was ready to bring Aoba to his new home told Shizuo to bring the young omega in that evening.

Shizuo sits up from his after-work sleep, rubbing his eyes with one hand and holding Izaya to his side like a pillow with the other. He yawns, feeling like he hardly rested at all despite being able to share the bed with his omega for the third late-morning sleep in a row. He looks over to his side to see Izaya still curled up very cutely and is drawn back down into the warm bed by his own desire to cuddle. Shizuo isn’t that hungry anyway.

“If you’re awake, you should let me out,” Aoba complains from his cage on the floor. He’s long since dropped his act.

Shizuo grunts. Having a teenager is difficult. Izaya must agree because he yawns and makes a cute whiny noise.

“Come on, let me out. I have to pee and I’m hungry.” Aoba rattles his cage.

Shizuo reluctantly rolls out of bed after giving Izaya a gentle squeeze and kissing his forehead. Izaya blinks his eyes but rolls over with his blanket to catch more sleep. Shizuo tucks the blanket around Izaya tightly to keep him as warm as possible in Shizuo’s absence.

“Sorry, had a busy night at the bar.” Shizuo mumbles, unlocking Aoba’s cage and stepping back to let him free.

“Whatever…” Aoba huffs. He crawls out and stretches before heading to the bathroom. Shizuo flops back down on the bed next to Izaya and closes his tired eyes. Aoba can make himself something if he wants to eat.

“... When are you sending me off?” Aoba asks after he finishes washing his hands. Shizuo doesn’t miss the uncertain undertone in Aoba’s voice but there’s nothing he can really do about it. He has no idea where Aoba is going.

“Tonight. Probably around five.”

Aoba doesn’t say anything to that and heads into the kitchen. Shizuo rolls over to curl around Izaya outside of the blankets. He’s just about to fall back asleep-

“So my brother sold me for real this time?” Aoba calls from the kitchen over the sound of him frying an egg. “How much did I go for?”

Shizuo tenses around Izaya ripped away from sleep by the question.

“... I don’t know.”

Aoba laughs bitterly. “Of course, you don’t. _You_ didn’t buy me.” There are the sounds of cabinets opening and closing and dishes clanking together and it’s all much louder than Shizuo thinks it ought to be. “I wonder what kind of alpha bought me… they probably aren’t super rich or powerful. Sixteen is almost too old of an omega to some of the really rich buyers, y’know.”

Shizuo does know but he doesn’t want to hear it. He just wants to go back to sleep.

“I suppose I should be happy that maybe, just _maybe_ , the person who bought me isn’t a complete freak. But really, who can be certain?”

_Tom said it would be better than where Aoba used to be. As long as it’s better._

“Maybe I’ll even be lucky enough to be added to a harem. That way all of the old alpha’s attention won’t be on me all the time.”

Aoba walks back into the room with his breakfast in hand and sits down in the middle of the floor to eat before continuing.

“A lot of alphas dream of having a harem. It’s really a pretty good deal on both ends, especially if the alpha is very virile.” Aoba takes a bite of his egg. “The responsibility of pleasing him won’t have to rest so heavily on one omega and when one of the omegas gets too _old_ and _ugly_ there’s another already ready to take their place.”

There’s a small movement in the curled up blanket in the bed.

“I know what you’re doing and I already told you it’s too late for that,” Shizuo growls and fixes Aoba with a glare. He’s quickly losing his patience when Aoba obviously starts to drag Izaya into this.

Aoba is unphased by Shizuo’s irritation, more than comfortable with being rude to the alpha who’s been so soft on him all this time. “You guys are already on the run, apparently.” He shrugs and takes another bite of his egg. “Adding ‘stealing a cheap omega’ to the list of reasons for your bounties couldn’t make that much of a difference…” Shizuo grits his teeth. He doesn’t want to snap at Aoba because he’s just a kid who’s lashing out because he’s scared. And for the next few hours, Aoba is still Shizuo’s responsibility.

“That’s enough,” Izaya sighs as he gets out from under his blanket. His hair is messily flipped up from the bed but his eyes are awake and serious as he glares at Aoba.  “Leave Shizu-chan alone. You can’t bully us into stealing you. It’s not going to work.” He gets out of bed and slowly walks towards Aoba. “Hiding from the government with two of us is hard enough, three will be impossible.”

Aoba stands and takes a step forward to meet Izaya, challenging him.

“Fine by me. There doesn’t need to be three of us. There are only posters of you, right? Shizuo-san would have a much easier time hiding without you. So, how about I just kill you? Shizuo-san doesn’t want a harem anyway.”

The edges of his vision blur and he can hardly hear Izaya’s response.

He knows Izaya’s talking, but it’s like he’s at the end of a long, dark tunnel. A very, very dark tunnel.

_kill, kill, kill..._

“Oh? What a cute threat,” Izaya smirks but the corner of his lips twitch in irritation. “If you think-”

Shizuo’s body is pushing past Izaya to grab Aoba. His arms lift the small boy by the front of his shirt and his legs are carrying them both over to the wall by the window. He feels himself shoving the tiny omega into the wall, at least a foot above the ground.

_Kill͘,̴ k̛ill̶, ̵k̨il̡l..̧.̵.̢_

Everything starts to fade away. Everything but unintelligible screaming that’s clogging up his head.

 _Ḳ̹̰̯̮ị̙̮l̛̲̗̼̞l̯̯͉͙̱̗ͅ,̩̹̼͘ ̭̥̩K̜̫̜̼͙͙i̶̩̥͈l͇ḷ̮͓̣͉̲,̟̮̘̞͘ ̴K̗͠i̱͔͈̭̼̠ḻ̛̳̰̠̤l̦̪̭̳͟,͍̭ ̻̤Ḵ̹͈͖̩i̹͕͎͝l͈̠̖̫̮l̻͇͈,̠̣ ͓̼̺̳̲͇̭K̟̙̙̭̰̩i̭̞l̨͖l͈͔̝̯̮, ̴̪͚̙̲͍ͅK͈͔͢i͈͎̯͙̲l̵̼̣͇͇̥ͅl҉̺,̜͡ ̖K͕͖̦̻̰̺̹i͓͡ļl̗͕͝,̲̠͕ ̯̩̼̩͝K͟i̢͖̗̥̬̟̤ḻ̼l̢,̛̮̥ D̹̹͚̝̙͉͢ie̼̮̳̪͉,҉ ̙D̨̝̺̬̝͍i̤̲̣͓̥e̵,̻̪͓ ̣͉̯̜D̞͔̦̯i̦̟͔̩͙̝̣ȩ̼͉͍̣̻̣,͚̳̥̻ ̸̰̪̫ͅD̮͔͈̰͖i̺̗̞̮͈̬͉͡e̘̟̹̱̘,͏̤̱̫̪̮̼̻ ̪̩͎̙D̖̠̥̻̖͝i̴̥̞͚ͅe҉͕͇,̧̼͍͚̹̩̗̬ ̘̯̰D̠̲͙͍̟̗i̮͖͖̖̻̪e̼̜̥,̬̗͙͎̦̖͜D͓̼̲̳i̻͔̳̯̗͉̞e̩̙̳͓̳̮!̘ ̰͕̜̫̼̞͚D͉͈͓͙͈i̥͎̙e̜̟̪̥̼̫!̰ ̗͚̱̪ͅD͍͕̦̠̼͓i̦̭̬e̡͉͉̞̹!͙̻͇̦_ “

Distantly, he notices Aoba’s eyes widening in fear and his struggling. Aoba’s mouth is moving like he’s talking but Shizuo can’t hear what he’s saying. He doesn’t know if he cares or not.

He’s breathing hard but he can’t get enough air around the stench of fear that’s clogging the space between the alpha and the tiny omega.

 _D͇̳̳̤̹͢ͅỊ̛̱͖̣̤E̗!̭̯͍̟̥͟ ̴̱̤̤D̗̳̗̩̗I̧E҉!͍̼̯͍̬̱͝ ̰͉͙̜͎͉D̘̝̖͇I̺̤̬̱͍͢E̡!̼̜ ̯Ḏ̵̭̞̩̺ͅI̯̥͓͡Ę̤̤͓̘̰!̫̰͕̠̮̘͝ ̝̮̭͟D͕͉̠̲͕̞͙I̮Ẹ͉͡!̧̳̯͎̩̭ ̦̩̼ͅD̗̞͡I̶͔̫͇̘E̳̻͉͟ͅ!̟̳̦ ̣̫̥̟̦̹̫͜Ḍ̴I̦̪̹̳̦̰E̴̜̫!̣̖̪͕̺͈̹ ̝͇̙͉̥̠̣D҉͕͖͕͙̯I̪̺̥̩̺͈͜E̶̱͔̩̙!̴͍̼̳ ̷̣͈͎D̵I̬̹̱̘̲̖̻Ḛ͖̘͇͇̥!̺̱̗͉̞̩̟ ̩D̩̘͢I͉̜̘͎̝͚E̺̖̞͔͠!͏̗̟ ͚̮̩͇̝̹̯D̶̩͓̟̙̙͓I̳̳̹͈͙̲͓Ę̞͓!͎̭̺̩̕ͅ ̴͈̝̤̹̖̠̖DI̶̯͉͓̱̤͖̞Ḛ! ̥̱͍͖DI̜͔͇͖̖͕̞E̡!̣̰̳̺̘ ̭̲D̨̗̪̰̣Į̗͚̥̥̫̹̱E͡!͍̬̞̘ ̥̜͉̝̜̲ͅḌ͔̮̗̬I̥̕E̴͉̯̥͓͍͇̮! ͚̘̫̘̰͚̝D̺ͅIE͔̠̬̠!̧̜̳ͅ ̥D̠̖͇̫I҉͙̥̼̼̥̯̰E͉̭̝̙͖̝̺!̧̺̱͙  
_                                                 Shizu-chan.

The alpha part of him doesn’t like the omega’s struggling so he growls and bares his teeth. The tiny omega in his hands goes limp on either instinct or fear but it hardly matters, because the beast inside Shizuo isn’t soothed. He shakes Aoba violently and slams him against the wall, his head bouncing off it with a sound Shizuo can’t hear over the screaming in his head. Shizuo snarls at the person who dared to challenge, to _threaten_ , his omega.

But through the screaming Shizuo can almost hear another voice inside.

~~_Are you going to do it again?_ ~~

No, he can’t. There isn’t another voice inside. It’s only righteous fury that makes his hands move to grip thin upper-arms too tightly. It’s the thirst for retribution that makes the alpha’s arms jerk to bang the omega’s head against the wall again.

“Shizu-chan. Let him go.”

Izaya. It’s Izaya’s voice. The noise i̷s҉ st͠il͟l theŗe͠.̡ Shizuo shakes his head, trying to clear his mind again. But he can’t. His grip on the omega’s arms tightens dangerously and in the background, there might be a pained wail.

An̴ ̵o̶meg̕a wįt̕h̴o̢ut arms ͜c͏a҉n͝'t͟ c̸ha̕lle̷nge̵ ҉hi̢s҉ mat͘e͡.

“No, Shizu-chan. You need to drop him.”

A hand is on his shoulder. He blinks again. The tunnel vision slowly fades. Aoba is against the wall, his face pale and eyes widen with fear.

“It’s okay.”

Izaya’s voice calls out to him again. _Shizuo’s Izaya._ He blinks hard and then there’s another hand on top of his.

“He didn’t mean it. Let him go.”

Slowly… Shizuo’s grip unlocks and he drops the omega. Aoba collapses to the floor, heaving for breath and crawling away like an insect.

Shizuo’s hands are pressed against the wall where Aoba just was, trembling. The screaming is gone but now there’s a ringing in his head.

“Shhh… It’s okay Shizuo. I’m here. See? I’m fine.” Izaya’s arms wrap around him from behind.

Shizuo gasps for air as he comes out of that dark tunnel.

_I- I didn’t mean to… I…_

Izaya’s hands gently urge Shizuo to turn around and Shizuo lets it happen. Izaya hugs him tightly and lays his head on Shizuo’s chest right over his pounding heart. Adrenaline is still making Shizuo’s hands shake so he doesn’t hold Izaya back. His head is still ringing.

“It- It was so loud…” Shizuo whispers, his breathing still quick and bordering on panicked.

“....” At first, Izaya doesn’t say anything. Then he raises his arms to cover Shizuo’s ears with his hands and pull his face down. “We’ll make it quieter. Okay? Is that better?”

Shizuo shakes his head. It’s still ringing so loud and it _hurts_ and…

“I’m bad. I did something so bad. I-!”

_I didn’t do it._

“But you didn’t. You stopped in time, Shizu-chan. It’s alright now.”

Finally, Shizuo’s able to focus on Izaya’s face and actually see him.

_I didn’t do it. It didn’t happen._

~~_What didn’t you do?_ ~~

Shizuo’s breathing begins to even out because it’s okay. Nothing happened. He didn’t do anything. Shizuo’s hands are shaking a little when he wraps his arms around Izaya’s shoulders and buries his face in his omega’s neck.

He tries not to hear Aoba’s panicked breathing from the other side of the room.

Shizuo feels the soothing pat on his back from his mate. He doesn’t know when they moved but they are sitting down now with Shizuo practically in Izaya’s lap. Providing comfort with a gently, mother-like touch, Izaya cradles Shizuo’s face and continues to stroke his hair and down his back, telling him that it’s okay. That he’s a good alpha for trying to protect Izaya. He’s not a bad boy. Everything is alright.

Everything. Is alright.

* * *

Izaya isn’t sure what went wrong. One minute he was dealing with a petulant child, the next he’s trying to talk an alpha down from murder.

Correction. An S-rank alpha, on top of the whole mess.

Izaya wasn’t able to react quickly enough when Shizuo suddenly rushed past him, grabbed Aoba and smashed him against the wall. He was a little more than stunned. That is until Shizuo started to go beyond a normal person’s rage.

He had seen Shizuo go berserk once. That time when Izaya was trapped in the telephone booth while a stranger alpha started to molest him. Then, Shizuo had ripped apart the metal and glass door as if it was made of cardboard and launched the other alpha into the sky.

After seeing such a vivid, horrific scene which remains burned into his memory, Izaya wasn’t sure how to approach Shizuo when he snapped this time. First, he called Shizuo’s name from the distance. Once Shizuo started to show signs that he was hearing him, a physical touch, although that took a lot of courage. If by chance Shizuo didn’t see him but acted in blind madness, there was a chance that…

… No, Izaya won’t think that far. For now, he’s glad it worked. However, Izaya better think of a Plan B to be prepared if it happens again. Just in case.

Shizuo had been mostly gentle and shy for weeks which lured Izaya into a false sense of security. He felt comfortable with Shizuo. He thought he had him under control. But who could truly control such a beast? In the end, he is an S-rank class alpha. Izaya is glad of the reminder and further glad that nothing truly tragic just occurred. No doubt Aoba probably felt safe enough with Shizuo to give him attitude too. It’s something Izaya will have to work on as he mentally makes a note to himself.

Once Shizuo had calmed, Izaya had tucked him back into bed. Then he dragged Aoba’s cage back into the bathroom then tossed the half-scared omega into it. Izaya locks it with the new lock they bought recently, which requires a number code. It would take several hours to figure out the right combination, or so Izaya had hoped. They’ve been using it on Aoba for the past few days now and he doesn’t seem to have left his cage, so Izaya is guessing that it’s working.

After taking care of the whimpering Aoba, Izaya ignores his whines and calls Shizuo’s work to call in sick for him. Shizuo needs his rest.

Izaya then sits on the bed next to Shizuo to give him any other comfort if he needs him.  Shizuo has his head covered by their pillow as if it is still too loud for him in this room.

He said it’s too loud.

Izaya did not hear any noise except for Shizuo’s snarling and Aoba’s frantic apologies.

Still, Izaya decides to worry about that later and strokes Shizuo’s back in what he hopes is a soothing manner.

“Shizu-chan, can you hear me?”

Shizuo nods from under the pillows. Izaya smiles.

“Is it still loud? Or are you hiding from me because you don’t like me anymore?” Izaya teases him gently.

Shizuo shakes his head quickly. But again, he’s gone non-verbal.

Izaya smiles to himself. He dips his hand under the pillow to stroke the blond hair and gently caresses him. Then he starts to sing, “ _Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high…_ ”

Shizuo leans into Izaya’s touch and his grip on the pillow relaxes just a bit.

Good, he likes the song. Izaya smiles as he continues to sing,

“... _Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops_ …”

He lets Shizuo keep the pillow and pulls up the blanket to cover him more. If he wants to hide from the world until he feels better, he can. Izaya continues to sing the entire song again and again until he feels Shizuo falling asleep.

The day goes by slowly, very slowly as Izaya lets Shizuo recover on his own time.

* * *

The chime of the elevator alerts them that it is time.

“Are you ready?”

“Wait, wait. Hold on, I’m not.”

“Can’t make him wait, we just gotta-”

“Wait! How do you know if…!”

It’s too late as Shizuo swings open the door to Tom’s office. Well to be exact, it’s the company Tom works for, a debt collecting agency.

The secretary at the front desk is blowing pink bubbles and her long lashes don’t blink when the door suddenly opens. She continues to type away without missing a beat and speaks in a bored, monotone voice. “Your name please.”

“Ah, I’m Heiwajima Shizuo and… I brought the omega for Tom? Tanaka Tom, please.” Shizuo’s voice sounds a bit nervous to Izaya. As if he hasn’t fully recovered yet. Aoba didn’t look all that put-together either.

“Please go to the right to the conference room.” The lady doesn’t even bother pointing. Shizuo gently tugs at the two leashes and they walk into a small conference room with two sofas, although Aoba is noticeably trying to keep his distance from Shizuo. They all sit together and wait calmly.

Except for their petulant child.

“How long are we waiting?” Aoba speaks up not even after ten seconds.

“It shouldn’t be long.” Shizuo tries. Izaya remains silent since he’s supposed to not speak up in public.

Aoba continues to have his arms crossed and taps his foot impatiently until the door opens and in comes a man with dreadlocks. This must be Tom, Izaya assumes.

“Shizuo! Good to see you!” Tom shakes hands with Shizuo as he stands up.

“Sit, sit. Thanks for taking care of him! Sorry, it took longer than I thought. The idiot, what’s his name… Ran? He didn’t have any paperwork for Aoba and it took us a while to figure out they’re brothers! That totally explains how he continued to sell Aoba off and was able to get him back each time without any legal documents.” Tom shakes his head. But then he grins.

“But don’t worry, I kept my promise. I made sure that we got the legal documents for the boy and filed it properly with the court so that we could complete the transaction.”

“Y-you mean?!” Aoba bursts out, his eyes growing wide in surprise. “I really am sold this time?”

“Yeah, well.” Tom scratches his head a bit embarrassed at the young omega’s outburst. “We are an official company, even if we look shady. We don’t want the government to come snooping around because we didn’t do our paperwork properly. The problem with Ran is, he purposely destroyed your paperwork so that if he went to court, he could always take you back since you guys are related by blood. Now that we’ve fixed that, everything is legally binding. It just took a while.”

“I can’t believe it….” Aoba mumbles to himself as he sinks into the couch.

“And? Who… bought him?” Shizuo asks hesitantly.

“Oh, about that. Our president said as long as it’s the highest bidder and that it’s legal, he didn’t particularly care who took him. But see, I still had the second promise to keep with my friend here,” Tom winks at Shizuo.

“There was one bidder who continued to outbid everyone. If someone tried to outbid them, they would immediately one-up it. It was as if they were really desperate to win Aoba specifically, no matter what the price so… I ended the auction and asked them to come and have an interview with me. It was just a bit odd, you know? Didn’t want a weirdo taking our boy and all…” Tom flicks his pack of cigarettes open. “Want one, Shizuo?”

Shizuo waves no thanks to the cigarette so Tom continues his story. “Suit yourself. Anyways… well, their documents looked legal alright. And since we are keeping two-thirds of the money, the price was good… hey, don’t give me that look. Yes, you are getting one third for yourself.” Tom reaches over and ruffles Aoba’s head who looks at him with even wider eyes. Normally, the omega should keep a portion of their sold price, like a dowery. But more often than not, the guardian or the alpha keeps all of the money for themselves.

“Like I said, the papers looked proper and I saw them in person before we sealed the deal. I think I did alright.” Tom smiles and then rings the bell on the desk to call the secretary.

The secretary from earlier opens the door to peer inside.

“You can bring our guest from the other room in. We’re completing our end of the transaction now.”

Without a word, the secretary leaves briefly only to come back with two guests. They are two boys who look not much older than Aoba himself.

“Mikado-senpai? Kida… wait why?!” Aoba stands up in shock, his leash jerking in Shizuo’s hold.

“Aoba-kun!” The darker haired boy runs up to grab Aoba’s hands. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“They are your new masters. Well to be exact, the beta named Kida Masaomi is. He just turned eighteen… am I right? So, he finally has the right to purchase omegas.” Tom pulls the contract from his briefcase to look it over one more time. “And that’s his other omega… Ryuugamine Mikado. I’m impressed someone so young has two omegas but, it looks like they know each other and you had a more personal reason for buying him, am I right?” Tom grins openly.

Izaya however, notices something else. The boy named Mikado seems genuinely happy to have Aoba but the smile on the blond named Kida seems more forced. It is possible that Kida went along with the transaction to please his omega.

“I… I don’t understand. I tried to kil… I mean… eliminate you…” Aoba looks confused and even a bit guilty as Mikado continues to hold his hands. “I don’t deserve…”

“Nonsense!” This time the blond jumps into the conversation and hugs both of them. “We’ll be a happy family together, right? Now then, where do I sign?”  Kida rushes to sign all the documents that Tom is holding. “Here? Here?! Oh, and here...”

“It’ll be just fine.” Mikado smiles, his eyes tearing up at the corners. “You’ll be away from your brother for good.Now we can all go the aquarium together like we promised. You wanted to see the sharks, right?”

“...You remembered.” Aoba murmurs, his hand tightening around Mikado’s.

“Okay then, let’s finish up here.” Tom gets out the rest of the paperwork from the briefcase for Kida to sign. There’s even a section for Kida’s omegas to sign so Mikado is finally pulled away from Aoba.

Aoba sits quietly next to Izaya, watching the two boys sign the papers that are changing his fate before his very eyes as if it’s too surreal to be true.

“Izaya-san,” Aoba speaks quietly, not looking away from the scene before him. “Is it true?”

“Hmm? Is what true?”

“That omegas are no different from alphas… that we are fundamentally the same. I don’t really believe in your story about Shizuo-san… well not really. But…” Aoba hesitates.  

“It’s true,” Izaya says softly so Shizuo can’t hear him. Shizuo is sitting next to Tom now, helping him as a witness for the signing of documents. “You know deep in your heart you’ve never been less than all the other alphas and betas you’ve met. It’s like being born as a male or female. Or blessed with better looks than others, or being born more rich or poorer. Rank and status, being omega or alpha, it’s just a starting point in your life. In the end, all that matters is how you work with it.”

“....You’re such a bad liar, Izaya-san.” Aoba smiles as he looks up at Izaya. “But it’s not a bad lie to believe in.”

“Perhaps you’ll realize, the world is what you make it out to be, Aoba-kun. If life gives you lemons, make sure you punch life in its face and make it eat dirt. I’m sure you know how to do that better than me by now.” Izaya turns to smirk back at the boy. Perhaps he may never like him but maybe he grew fond of him just slightly within the week. Just a tiny bit.

“... What about S-ranks? Am I the same as an S-rank?”

“....” At first, Izaya doesn’t say anything, his face emotionless. Then quietly he replies, “Life isn’t that fair, Aoba-kun. You know your own rank. If you ever happen to run into someone you think is an S-rank, I’d run the other way and never look back if I were you.”

“....” Aoba stares back at Izaya as the words sink in. Izaya grimly continues.

“They are urban legends so they probably don't exist. But if they were real, then I’d advise you not to face them. They aren’t humans. They’re monsters in disguise.”

“... Then I guess it’s not only how you ‘work with it.’”

Perhaps Aoba’s too old for sweet words. He will continue to see the world as a glass half empty. And maybe the monsters under his bed were always too big for a flashlight to chase away. But that’s who Kuronuma Aoba is, like his namesake, ‘a blue leaf in a black marsh’.

However, before either of them can continue, the signing is done. There is a short ceremony as Aoba uses his thumb to stamp his fingerprint on the document and it is done. He now belongs to Kida Masaomi.  

Shizuo waves goodbye as Aoba looks back at them, his gaze specifically landing on Izaya’s, a hesitant glance before Mikado hugs him and pulls him through the door.

Kuronuma Aoba is finally gone from their life.

 _I told you not to look back you idiot,_ Izaya smiles softly to himself as Shizuo tugs on his leash to go home.

Perhaps his pep talk won’t do much for Aoba but he hopes that it did in some small way. At least, he did look like he’s going to a decent home, better than his birth family. Ultimately, that’s all Aoba wanted.

And now Izaya looks up to smile at Shizuo, who looks back at him with a small, tired smile. He too has found himself a nice family. It’s not perfect of course, but that’s just what life is about, after all. Making it work with what you are given. Minus the fact that of course, Izaya never got his official omega papers from Nebula when he went to get tested and Kadota could never do for Izaya what Kida had done for Aoba.

All in all, Izaya figures he didn’t do too badly given his situation.

Now if only that ‘noise’ won’t come back to Shizuo too often…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	19. Chapter 19

 

Shizuo hums to himself, smiling fondly as he stares out the kitchen window with the bricks of the adjacent building as his only view. He’s leaning over the sink with one hand idly touching the herbs sitting above it and the other hand holding his flip phone to his cheek. The last week was rough for Shizuo but at least it’s quiet now.

“Have you been stressed out too?” He asks Kasuka softly.

…

“Yeah, things’ve just been crazy lately.” Shizuo hums and nods to himself. “But I feel like it was worth it in the end.”

…

“The real hero in the situation was Tom.” Shizuo chuckles. The company that Tom works for might not be the most transparent but they did come through this time. And for helping Aoba into a new home that might put him on the right path, Shizuo is grateful.

“I really do owe him one. I owe Izaya one too, I think. Since he put up with all my shitty choices.”

…

“I think Izaya might be starting to feel it too. That connection I felt when I first saw him and saved him that night in the alley.” Shizuo looks back on the memory fondly. Izaya might not have been grateful at first but he did warm up to Shizuo. Shizuo thinks that the first few days with Izaya here were worth it too.

“I mean, why else would he want to stay?” Shizuo laughs a little in self-deprecation. “It’s sort of a shitty reason but… maybe we were fated to meet.”

…

“I know, I know, it’s corny.” Shizuo finds himself blushing even though Kasuka wasn’t making fun of him. Kasuka never makes fun of him. Kasuka always supports him.

“... Yeah, thanks.”

…

“I know you’re always just a phone call away but… I still really miss you. I know you’ve got your own life but I wish you could come home. I think you and Izaya would get along. You guys could have smart-person conversations.” Kasuka always insists that Shizuo is smarter than he gives himself credit for. That’s one of the things he can never agree with his brother on. But what kind of brothers would they be if they didn’t have disagreements?

“It’s not your fault that you’re always away. Besides, I’m a lot less lonely with Izaya around.”

In a lot of ways, Shizuo is still very lonely even with Izaya around. Because not being understood is lonely. But it’ll get better, Shizuo is sure of it.

“I’ll let you go for now. I love you.”

....

Shizuo flicks the phone shut to end the call.

“Shizu-chan,” Izaya calls from the bathroom. Shizuo turns to see Izaya’s head poking out from the bathroom doorway, his hair dripping and a single bare shoulder peeking out. “Thank you for the warm water for the bath, that was refreshing.” Then Izaya ducks back into the bathroom, presumably to get dressed. They still never really went clothes shopping for Izaya so normally he just wears Shizuo’s clothes. Shizuo is in no hurry to change this.

They’ve had breakfast without Aoba for the first time in a week and Shizuo can’t say he misses him too much. He didn’t dislike Aoba but he’s happy they have the house to themselves. Even though Izaya hasn’t gone back to feeding him yet, a practice Shizuo craved while Aoba was with them. Maybe he’ll just have to lead by example next time and feed Izaya.

Izaya steps out of the bathroom in another one of Shizuo’s long sleeve shirts. He looks particularly cute in it, warm and at ease in the comfort of the oversized clothing. Izaya stretches his arms over the top of his head and even stretches up onto his tiptoes before relaxing once again.

“How did you sleep?” Shizuo asks rather than asking if Izaya wants to continue to share his bed. They slept together again last night since Shizuo took the night off to recover from the drugging incident.

Izaya blushes demurely, looking sideways. “I… I slept well.” Then he adds softly, almost inaudibly, “You tend to exude… a lot of unnecessary pheromones at night, however.”

Shizuo flushes a bit in embarrassment. He supposes that makes sense considering the kinds of dreams he has but he still hadn’t thought of how it might affect Izaya.

“Oh, sorry about that…” Shizuo looks to the cage, biting his lip. “We don’t have to sleep together anymore if you don’t want to.” He wouldn’t blame Izaya for not wanting to sleep with him. He probably gets all hot and sweaty at night too.

“I… I’d rather we slept together.” Izaya blurts out fast then claps his mouth shut with both his hands. “I… I mean, if you don’t mind.”

“No, no, I don’t mind!” Shizuo assures him quickly. He walks out of the kitchen and sits on the bed. Before Shizuo brought Aoba home, he and Izaya were working on touching more to avoid Izaya going into another neglect-induced heat. Sleeping together is probably all the contact they need to prevent that but… Shizuo is selfish. He holds his arms out like he wants a hug, a bit shyly since it’s been a while. “I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”

“...” Izaya hesitates before he takes a step forward. Then he slides into Shizuo’s arms, fitting perfectly as he sits on his lap. He wasn’t expecting Izaya to go as far as to sit on his lap but he’s not complaining. Shizuo wraps his arms around Izaya securely and tucks Izaya’s face into his neck in what he hopes is a comforting gesture.

Izaya closes his eyes and lays his head on Shizuo’s shoulder and relaxes, breathing in and out. 

“What do you want to do today?” Shizuo asks gently. Now that they’re alone again they can do all kinds of things. Like go back to the library or go grocery shopping or… try training again.

He supports Izaya’s lower back with one hand and strokes his hair with the other. Shizuo remembers that Izaya said he loves hugs.

“Mmm… I do need to go to the library to restock some books. But I think it’s closed now.” Izaya takes in another deep breath and breathes in Shizuo’s scent. “And maybe more groceries… but sadly again, I think it’s closed at this time.” Like Shizuo thought, Izaya did want to do those things. Izaya opens his eyes and they twinkle with mirth. “Maybe you can tell me more about your plants? How do you want to spend today, Shizu-chan?” Izaya turns the question around and asks him instead.

“I want to keep you right here all day,” Shizuo responds softly. Before he wouldn’t have said something so bold but for all the chaos that came with being drugged by Aoba it did bring them closer. “I don’t want to let you walk anywhere. Not even to the kitchen.”

“Really?” Izaya laughs happily. “You don’t find that boring? No, I guess you don’t.” Izaya rubs his head against Shizuo like a kitten. “Hmm turning on the T.V. would be boring too then. Or watching your plant grow… Do you want to play a game or something?”

Shizuo shakes his head and nuzzles into Izaya’s hair. He takes a deep breath of the clean, damp hair, loving the warm scent.

“... Can I have a kiss?” He asks almost shyly. They did start kissing and Shizuo wants to do more of that.

“No.” Izaya denies him immediately. “You didn’t earn it yet.”

Shizuo frowns. It’s okay if Izaya doesn’t want to kiss right now but he’s not sure about this ‘earning’ business.

“... Okay…” He grumbles a bit. He tucks his nose back into Izaya’s hair and goes back to smelling him. Izaya might find it boring but Shizuo thinks it’s nice.

“Shizu-chan… do you want to sleep?”

Shizuo shakes his head. He isn’t tired but Izaya doesn’t seem as content to just sit still as Shizuo is. Shizuo lays back on the bed, pulling Izaya down with him. His thoughts drift back to his conversation with Kasuka, about how things were when he first brought Izaya home. How long ago was that again?

“How long have we been together?”

“...” Izaya stiffens up, his breathing hitching. He replies cautiously, “...almost a month.”

At first, Shizuo is confused as to why Izaya would get so tense from a simple question. Then it hits him. Almost a month.

Shizuo stiffens as well. They’ve almost wasted all their time that Izaya’s needed to prepare for his next heat!

Shizuo sits up abruptly because they can’t just laze around anymore.

“Izaya, your heat’s coming soon!” He pulls Izaya from his neck so he can look down at him. “We’re not ready at all!”

“I… I don’t need to be ready.” The omega pouts, not meeting his alpha’s eyes. “Besides, there’s nothing to be prepared for.”

“I need to be prepared,” Shizuo insists. He stands up, now carrying Izaya. He supports Izaya’s weight with one arm under his backside as he crouches down to fish under his bed for the box he stashed the dildo inside. “I don’t know what to do with you when you’re in heat at all.”

“... Like I said, just tie me up and plug me with a toy, I guess.” Izaya mutters. 

“No way, that wasn’t good enough.” Shizuo drags the box out from under the bed. “It was hard enough last time and that was like, in the middle of your heat. This time you’re going to be with me throughout your  _ entire _ heat.” He pulls the dildo out, one of the lubes Izaya picked out and tosses the box onto the floor. “We need to practice.”

“P...practice what? Me being in heat?” Izaya looks perturbed.

“I need to practice dealing with you being aroused and you need to practice using a toy.” He sits back on the bed and leans Izaya against the pillows before handing Izaya the dildo.

“W-why a toy?!” He fumbles with the dildo as if it’s a snake.

“I’m not going to fuck you, right? And I think it would be better if I didn’t have to tie you up this time.” Shizuo closes his hands around Izaya’s to steady them. “That way I don’t have to risk touching you and you can take care of yourself.”

“I...I don’t like this idea.” Izaya stares at the dildo and then back at Shizuo.

Shizuo shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Izaya, but we can’t just keep avoiding it. You’re going into heat soon whether we’re ready or not.”

“...No. I refuse.” After several seconds of thought, Izaya puts his foot down on the matter. “I don’t care, I don’t want to  _ practice _ .”

“You agreed that you needed to practice last week.” Well, Izaya agreed more or less…

“T-that was last week. This is, this week.” It’s a very feeble answer. They both know it. Suddenly Izaya stopped being vague and avoiding the matter and is determined to get away with the practice. It’s a strange shift of attitude and Shizuo isn’t sure what to make of it yet. Is Izaya trying to plan something?

“I know, and this week is even more crucial because it’s coming soon.” Shizuo insists again. He doesn’t get why Izaya is fighting this, considering he didn’t before. Not so directly. “I’m not going to let us both be completely at a loss this time.”

The frustration from Izaya’s outright refusal and the need to protect his omega make Shizuo’s pheromones flare up unconsciously. He wishes Izaya would just listen to Shizuo and do what’s best for him. It feels like Izaya’s almost back to how he was when Shizuo first rescued him.

“!!!” Izaya flinches while sitting on Shizuo’s lap as the overpowering scent floods the room. He tries to inch away but Shizuo grabs his thighs to keep him from getting far. The alpha doesn’t even think of his scent or how it might be affecting the omega as Izaya’s breathing grows irregular at Shizuo’s touch. All he’s thinking about is how Izaya’s obedience will be the best way to keep him from getting hurt when it’s time for his heat again.

Izaya shivers as their crotches are so dangerously close to each other. “S-Shizuo… this is a bad idea…” But Izaya’s resistance is much weaker.

“No. It’s not.” Shizuo doesn’t want to fight about it anymore. “I can’t protect you if you don’t  _ listen to me. _ ” 

“W-what… exactly do you have in mind… for training?”

Shizuo hands Izaya one of the scented lubes from the omega store. “You asking just proves that you need more experience. I want you to practice with this vibrator by actually using it instead of just passing out on it. Do you even know how to do that?”

“...” Izaya holds the toy with both hands, staring at it as if it’s a cockroach. He cringes as he looks back up at Shizuo. It seems as if he doesn’t want to answer Shizuo’s question.

Shizuo sighs. “Izaya, you need to know how your body actually works. You can’t keep avoiding it.”

“Can’t I do that on my own time… without your supervision?” Izaya mutters softly. 

Shizuo’s eyes narrow. “Even if I believed you’d actually do it, you clearly have no idea what you’re doing. I’m staying right here.” He’s hit with another rush of protectiveness as the possibility of Izaya trying it and hurting himself presents itself. Izaya probably wouldn’t hurt himself to be fair, but still.

Not to mention the little fact that Shizuo  _ wants _ to be there for what is obviously Izaya’s first time really using a dildo. But that’s completely beside the point. And the onslaught of possessiveness he feels about being Izaya’s first for so many things doesn’t change anything either. Probably.

“...Alright. I think I know how to use the toy but for what you consider is  _ safety reasons _ , I guess… show me how to use it.”  Izaya grumbles as he gives back the dildo to Shizuo. “First, I need to take off my pants and lube myself and then the toy? Then put it in and turn it on?”

“No way.” Shizuo hisses. Of course, Izaya missed out on such a crucial point. “You’re not in heat. You can’t just shove it in, you have to prepare yourself first. Just some lube won’t cut it.” Especially not with how new Izaya is to this.

“W-well, that would obviously be part of… putting it in.” Izaya huffs as he corrects himself. Then he hesitates as if wondering what he should do next. Still, Izaya finally seems like he’s seeing Shizuo’s side of things. This allows Shizuo to relax and shift back from Izaya just enough to give him space.

“Take off your pants.”

“...” Izaya bites his lower lip and trembles. But as before, Izaya is obedient once given an order and he fingers the edges of his pants. Shizuo swallows, trying to push down his own excitement at the motion as he watches Izaya slowly pull down the drawstring pants that Shizuo had loaned him to wear along with his underpants in one go and slides out of them. The pants fall from the bed revealing Izaya’s long, sleek legs, untouched and unmarked. Izaya pulls down his long white shirt like a tunic to hide his lower half as his cheeks flush, pulling it down so much that the shirt stretches and shows even more of Izaya’s shoulders and slender neckline.

Shizuo’s eyes fall half-lidded as they drink in the sight of his pretty omega and his nostrils flare at the scent of submission that starts to come off Izaya in waves. He blinks hard and huffs out air through his nose to try and refocus.

Now he hands Izaya the lube and makes sure he actually takes it before pulling his hands away. “Pour a good amount of this onto your fingers and lube yourself up.”

“...” Izaya takes the bottle and holds it with shaking hands. He carefully pops it open and pours a generous amount onto one palm and rubs his palms together, confused.

“You don’t need to get it everywhere.” Shizuo’s voice softens considerably at how lost Izaya seems to be. He stops Izaya from rubbing his palms together by taking his wrists. He moves Izaya’s hands to push some of the gel up onto his fingertips. “Your whole hand’s not going in. Just your fingers, right?”

“I-I know that! I was just warming up the… never mind.” Izaya flushes very hard. He quickly pulls his hand away.  He then looks behind him and then back at Shizuo, contemplating what to do next. 

“Y-you’re really going to insist on watching… the entire time?”

With the way Izaya was using the lube Shizuo is more certain than ever that Izaya really needs to be supervised. 

“Yes. There are a few ways you could try it, face-up or face-down. Just do whichever is more comfortable for you.”

“What’s face-up… and face-down?”

Shizuo takes a deep breath in and swears for a moment that Izaya must be fucking with him. Except it really doesn’t seem like he is. 

“For face-up, you’ll lay on your back with your legs spread or your knees up to your chest. For face-down, you’ll be on your stomach with your hips raised.” He explains patiently, fully moving away from debate mode and into being as caring as he knows how.

“O-oh. Okay, I knew that. Just not the… terminologies.” Izaya looks down at his fingers and plays with the sticky gel by smearing it over and over with his fingers, refusing to look back up at Shizuo as he realizes how dumb his question must have sounded.

Shizuo reaches out to place a comforting hand on Izaya’s thigh but he doesn’t want to be condescending by offering too many words of confirmation.

“I-I can do it by myself!” Izaya quickly pulls away before Shizuo can touch him.

Shizuo pulls his hand away, confused by the sudden rejection. “I… know you can. I want you to do it yourself.” He says slowly, eyeing Izaya.

“...Right.” Izaya then looks around and behind his back, trying to figure out something. Finally, he sits on his knees and while one hand continues to pull down the front of his shirt, he reaches behind himself and tries to insert a finger. Since he’s on his knees, he is having some difficulties balancing himself. If he let go of the front of his shirt or bent down on the bed, it would make things so much easier but Izaya seems determined to not let Shizuo see anything. Even though, in this position, Shizuo can see how Izaya’s face clearly displays how mortified he is. And how the neck hole of his shirt is stretched down, revealing those delicious looking perky nipples. Shizuo slowly exhales, trying to calm himself. 

After few minutes, it is obvious that Izaya’s not properly fingering himself and is probably just pretending to do so. Clearly, Izaya’s trying to stall which makes no sense since they’ll just sit here all day.

“No, not like that.” Shizuo places his hands on Izaya’s shoulders to steady him and get his attention. “It’ll be hard for you to relax in this position. And don’t try to just shove anything in right away.” He says softly, trying to will his pheromones into something as comforting and gentle as possible. Although he’s never been good at making them do what he wants.

“I can do it fine.” Izaya frowns as he stubbornly refuses to change position. Shizuo doesn’t understand what is the big deal with trying to hide this. Shizuo has seen Izaya nude before. Shizuo’s even plugged him with a toy before, so this isn’t anything more scandalous. 

Shizuo huffs because, of course, his pheromones didn’t work again. He gives one of Izaya’s shoulders a gentle tap that throws him completely off balance. “No. You can’t.”

“Whoaaa!!!” Izaya flails and before he falls backward, his hands grab onto Shizuo’s own shoulders for balance. The sweetly scented yet sticky lube gets all over Shizuo’s clothes.

“Lie down.”

Izaya shakes his head ‘no,’ refusing to listen still.

Shizuo huffs through his nose and easily shrugs off Izaya’s hands to push him flat on his back against the pillows. Izaya looks up and Shizuo ignores the surprised and nervous expression in his eyes in order to take a more dominant position. Izaya definitely needs more guidance than Shizuo thought.

He grabs Izaya by his waist and shifts him to prop him up against the pillows a little before grabbing his knees to spread them. Shizuo just wants to rip the damn band-aid off rather than drag out this crippling amount of self-consciousness Izaya has.

As soon as Shizuo gets Izaya’s legs apart, the omega shoves his shirt down with both hands out of his persistent sense of modesty. Shizuo sighs. Izaya really needs to let go of his weird sense of propriety already.  

“Will you stop it already and just listen to me?” Shizuo demands, his tone not that of a question. 

“I’m listening.” Izaya pouts but his hands are still on the edge of his shirt, still refusing Shizuo the sight of his lower body.

Shizuo narrows his eyes because Izaya is obviously not.

“Then start by spreading lube over the outer rim. Don’t just try shoving a finger in. Let yourself relax.”

Izaya glares at Shizuo as if he’s about to say something but bites his lips and doesn’t. Instead, he dips his hand inside his shirt and still tries to make it not visible to Shizuo what exactly he’s doing.

If Izaya really doesn’t want him to see that bad, fine.

“Tell me what you’re doing.”

“What you told me to do.” Izaya looks away and mumbles, not bothering to clarify.

“And how does it feel? Are you relaxing?” He’s not feeling patient enough to give Izaya much time to get used to it.

“I-I can’t relax with you watching so intensely.”  

“Then let me help you relax, at least.” Shizuo softens his tone. He hadn’t noticed how gruff it had gotten as Izaya caused his frustration to build again. He lets go of Izaya’s knees to place his hands on Izaya’s shoulders instead to try and rub them.

“...” Izaya is not relaxing at all as he continues to keep his hand on the edge of the shirt. Finally, he gives up and says, “I can’t do it. It’s not working. I don’t want you watching me.”

“I can’t help you if I’m not watching, Izaya,” Shizuo knows that the whole problem seems to be the fact that the omega is being watched. But without guidance, Izaya would clearly forego the entire training and they’ll end up back at square one when Izaya’s heat comes back and Shizuo can’t have that. 

Shizuo fits his hands into the crook of Izaya’s neck and slips his fingers up underneath the collar that’s made its home there. He rubs Izaya’s neck right where he thinks he’d like to place his mark. He’s starting to think that he should just do it himself, but that completely defeats the purpose. Izaya is supposed to learn so he can help himself through his own heat safely. It’ll be dangerous for Shizuo to help Izaya through his heat again.

But maybe there’s another way to help Izaya get started, at least.

He reaches down between Izaya’s legs to grab his wrist and take control of his hand. Izaya flinches at the contact but he doesn’t tell Shizuo to stop. Shizuo places his own finger over Izaya’s and guides its movement around the rim slowly.

“Like this.” He says, applying a steady amount of pressure. He keeps his eyes on Izaya’s face since he hates the idea of Shizuo seeing his body so much. But even if Shizuo can’t see anything, he can feel it. Izaya closes his eyes, probably from embarrassment. It takes a while but as Shizuo relaxes from Izaya’s lack of resistance he can feel Izaya begin to relax enough for them to take things a little further. Just another baby step.

Shizuo grabs the lube and reaches under Izaya’s shirt to squirt a bit more onto Izaya’s fingers, just to be safe. He shifts his grip so the length of his finger is no longer covering Izaya’s. Instead, he takes the base of Izaya’s pointer finger and guides the very tip of it inside. Just to the first knuckle.

“Does it hurt?” Shizuo asks gently. “If we’re going too fast we can go back to just rubbing the outside again.”

Izaya shakes his head saying it doesn’t hurt so Shizuo keeps going centimeter by centimeter until the whole digit is inside. Izaya swallows hard once an entire finger is inside him.

“I know you’ve taken more than this before,” Shizuo says, kissing Izaya’s hair. “But this time it’s not a heat or a neglect-induced heat or drugs... So I want to be careful.“ This time, Izaya isn’t wet at all. The lubrication is all artificial as far as Shizuo can tell but that’s fine. Izaya’s just nervous.

He pulls Izaya’s hand back by his wrist to pull the finger out about halfway before pushing it in again.

“It feels weird,” Izaya whimpers a bit but doesn’t try to resist.

That’s what Izaya said when Shizuo was sucking his cock, and that turned out to be too good for Izaya. Maybe that means Izaya will start to get wet on his own soon.

“It’s okay,” Shizuo soothes and pets Izaya’s hair with his free hand. “I won’t do too much at once.”

“...Alright. So I get that I rim myself with a lubed finger… then stick my fingers and stretch. Then what?” Izaya seems impatient, as if he wants to get this over with.

Shizuo tucks Izaya’s face into his neck to try and calm him with his alpha scent.

“Then you keep relaxing and just focus on how it feels. You should be more than ready before you try to use the dildo.” Shizuo continues to thrust Izaya’s pointer finger very, very slowly.

Izaya’s breathing starts to grow a bit irregular, short stuttering puff of breaths. “Okay… am I ready yet?”

“No, not yet.” Shizuo doesn’t feel anything wet on his neck but he glances down just to make sure Izaya isn’t crying. Those breaths didn’t sound very relaxed to him. He tries to push forward more reassurance and calm control as he thrusts that one finger a bit longer. “But you might be ready for a second finger.”

When Izaya doesn’t protest, he guides another one of Izaya’s fingers into him equally slowly.

“Does it hurt?” He asks again.

“No…” Izaya still looks uncomfortable. Shizuo doesn’t understand why Izaya still looks like that. Is he going too fast? Is he cold or worried that Shizuo is angry at him for not listening at first? “I just wish… you’d be doing this instead of me.”

Shizuo keeps a chuckle to himself. “The whole point is that you can do it yourself without me for your heat.”

Shizuo can feel Izaya’s fingers move as they dip into his ass and out of Shizuo’s control, suggesting that he is stretching himself properly. So this probably isn’t going too fast.

He pulls his hand out of Izaya’s hair to reach behind them to pull up the blanket quickly. Just in case Izaya is cold.

Shizuo’s not sure what he can do about Izaya possibly being worried about his anger. But he tries his best to reassure Izaya by giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“You’re doing good.” He says softly as he starts to move Izaya’s hand a little faster. Izaya trembles a bit as he does pick up speed, his legs trying to close together. Shizuo shifts closer between Izaya’s legs so he can’t close them too far. “It’s good to use your fingers like that. I think you’re ready for a third.”

He takes Izaya’s ring finger and adds it to the mix, pushing it in alongside the other two. It slides in without resistance but Shizuo can never be sure what that means with his strength. Still, Izaya doesn’t look or sound like he’s in pain.

“Do I seriously need a third…? Can’t I just make do with… two?”

“A third is so we’re extra sure.” That Izaya’s ready for the dildo, that is. Three fingers… may or may not be enough to prepare him for Shizuo’s cock. Not that he’s going to be fucking Izaya soon, obviously.

“It’s just… practice, isn’t it? I don’t really need a third finger in right now, do I?” Izaya whines, once again trying to find a shortcut.

“No. Third finger, Izaya.” Shizuo says firmly as he helps Izaya finger himself but the pace is more steady and confident as Izaya loosens up.

“You should also be trying to feel good. See if you can find your prostate.”

“Is that necessary… to put a dildo in?” Izaya replies reluctantly. It doesn’t seem like Izaya is completely clueless. It’s more as if, he’s trying to just skip class, so to speak.

“I mean… it’s not necessary if you’re just trying to make it fit, I guess. But you’re supposed to feel good.”

“I see... To feel good, huh…” Izaya sighs dejectedly. 

“Can you not find it?” Shizuo asks. It can be a bit tricky if it’s someone’s first time trying.

“No, it’s just… if I’m in heat anyway, I’m already feeling good, aren’t I?”

“Your body shouldn’t be so much of a mystery to you. Also touching your prostate and arousing yourself will relax you even more. The whole point of this training is so you understand your body and know how to properly take care of yourself while not getting yourself hurt.” Shizuo sure wishes his own wasn’t a mystery. 

“It’s not a mystery, it’s just embarrassing.” Izaya finally admits. “Besides, are you sure my finger can reach that far?”

“It’s not as far as you think.” Shizuo finally takes out one of Izaya’s inexperienced fingers. “Let me show you.” He replaces that finger and presses one of his own inside along with Izaya’s other two. He had the spot memorized from the first time he fingered Izaya so it’s easy for him to guide Izaya’s fingers to the right spot and make them curl into it. As Shizuo suspected, Izaya’s fingers are just long enough to reach it.

“Haaa-aaah!!!” Izaya jerks his hips up when Shizuo reaches his sensitive spot. Yep, this time the fingers definitely touched his prostate. Izaya’s body always seems to be honest and sensitive even if he’s being shy.

Shizuo moves his free hand down to Izaya’s hips to pin them down. He knows they only jerked up as an involuntary response but that still made Izaya move away from their fingers.

He keeps Izaya’s hips in place before making Izaya rub his own prostate again.

“Aaah…!! Hnnn… S… Shizu… Nnn…!” This time, Izaya tosses and turns, but Shizuo keeps his hand firmly pressed down. Izaya must be finally getting turned on because his sweet scent starts to grow stronger. 

“It’s better when it feels good, right?” Shizuo says into Izaya’s ear as he tucks his nose behind it to get closer to the scent. “There’s no point if you’re not feeling good.”

He starts pumping Izaya’s fingers in and out, making Izaya’s fingers brush his prostate every time.

“N-no…” Izaya denies it, shuddering hard. “I… I don’t like it when it’s… me touching myself. It feels too weird.” Then his eyes open slightly, as he speaks, losing his breath, “I-I’d rather have you touch me instead.”

“I’m not touching you for your heat unless you want to mate.” Shizuo reminds him gently. Plus, Shizuo’s finger is inside him. It’s just not the one on Izaya’s prostate.

“I know! I get that but… aaah… t… this… hnnn… I just want…”

Izaya’s body clearly says otherwise. However, Izaya is loose enough now. 

“We can try the dildo if you think you’re ready now.”

Izaya nods, looking relieved when Shizuo pulls their fingers out.

Shizuo reaches outside of the blanket covering their lower bodies to grab the dildo. He offers it to Izaya, along with the bottle of lube.

“You should try lubing it up.”

“...” Izaya takes a moment to purse his lips before snatching the dildo and directly pouring the lube on top and messily rubbing it all over. Since he’s using two hands, he’s finally let go of the shirt and Shizuo can see the small tent that has formed.

It’s pretty amateur but Shizuo’s sure that’s also from impatience. Izaya has been asking about the dildo since the beginning so maybe that’s what he really wants and won’t be satisfied with fingers like this.

“Now try putting it in. Be sure to go slow so you don’t hurt yourself.”

Izaya takes a deep breath and this time, he doesn’t bother to pull down the shirt. Instead, he goes ahead and fingers his entrance first then pushes the tip of the dildo against his entrance. 

It doesn’t go in.

Izaya frowns a bit as if wondering if he should push harder. But he seems too scared to actually shove it in and without enough pressure, the dildo doesn’t go in at all.

Shizuo places his hands over Izaya’s to steady him. “It’s okay, this is normal. You have to try and be patient with it. Relax your muscles and push out with them as you try putting the dildo in.”

“I guess I still can’t ask you to do it?” Izaya asks winsomely. 

“I… can’t relax your ass for you?” Shizuo is genuinely a bit confused.

“No, I meant to push it in!” Izaya hisses.

Shizuo doesn’t understand why Izaya seems mad at him. Is he really that impatient to have the dildo?

He takes a breath and reminds himself to be calm and in charge.

“My hands are right here.” He reminds Izaya gently. “Just relax and push out and I’ll help you guide it in.”

“...” Again Izaya looks as if he wants to give up. But Shizuo doesn’t budge so he sighs and starts pushing the tip in again and Shizuo pushes with him. He shivers as the small head of the tip finally pokes inside. 

“There you go, you’re doing really good.” He gives Izaya another kiss on the forehead. “When you’re ready for more I’ll push with you again.”

Izaya mutters something inaudible but he continues to push it in slowly. As promised, Shizuo pushes along with him. Eventually, the dildo is all the way to the base.

“Does it feel okay?”

“No,” Izaya grumbles, clearly unhappy.

Shizuo quickly reaches up to cup Izaya’s cheek and search his expression for pain. “Does it hurt? Was that too fast?”

“No. That’s not it. It’s just I wish you’d… never mind. It’s fine.” Izaya sighs in resignation.    

As long as Izaya’s not in pain Shizuo can keep going. Shizuo has an inkling of what Izaya was about to say but ultimately he can’t help him. Izaya needs to do this himself. Besides, Izaya probably just doesn’t feel good because the toy completely missed his prostate.

Shizuo slowly eases the toy out about halfway.

“Now, when we push it in this time, try to angle it up for your prostate. It’ll feel better when you do that.”

When Shizuo helps him angle it right and pushes it into Izaya’s prostate, sure enough, he shudders hard and one hand shoots out to grab onto Shizuo.  _ See, he does like it. _

“Stay relaxed and just go at your own pace,” Shizuo says as he helps Izaya fuck himself with the dildo slowly. In a small way, Shizuo is giving what Izaya wants, at least moving the dildo in and out of him like his own cock. It pleases the alpha to know that the omega seems to only want him more and more. “You don’t have to use the vibration setting if it’s too much for you right now.”

“Nnngh… nnn…” Izaya moans lowly, the blush spreading on his face. Izaya seems to open up more once Shizuo takes control of the training and the alpha’s chest swells with self-pride. The omega looks up at Shizuo briefly before glancing down again. “Okay, I think I learned everything. Can we end the training now?”

Stop right now? Why would Izaya want to do that?

“But you’re hard. You should get off.” He points out as if Izaya somehow forgot.

“I don’t need to get off… I learned what I’m supposed to do, right? S-so we can stop, right?” Izaya is clearly avoiding eye contact now.

Shizuo frowns down at Izaya’s flushed erection. “You shouldn’t stay pent-up like that.” He decides and starts to move the dildo a little faster. With Izaya, of course. Since Izaya’s hands are still on it.

“I-I’m not… aaah… Aaah…! N-not… pent… up… aaah…!” Izaya gasps each time a thrust rubs just right on his prostate.

Shizuo doesn’t believe that for a second. But Izaya’s right, Shizuo did finish the lesson. Now all that’s left to do is finish Izaya.

“It’s okay, I’ll take over from here.” He reassures. Izaya did say he prefers Shizuo to do it. “You did well.”

Izaya’s eyes widen as he lets go of the dildo. He licks his lips as if he’s about to say something but in the end, he remains silent. Shizuo does notice one of Izaya’s hands twitch and tremble.

Shizuo wishes that Izaya was still helping him, mostly because he’d love to watch Izaya get himself off, but Izaya seems to be happy to let Shizuo do it.

He twists the toy into Izaya’s prostate with every thrust and places his other hand over Izaya’s collar to press it into the skin. He’s not sure why he does that, but he wants Izaya to feel it.

“Hnnngh…!” Izaya reacts honestly and sweetly, just as Shizuo expected. He gradually speeds up the thrusts and angles the dildo up for a deeper angle even though the prostate really isn’t that deep.

“Would the vibration be too much for you?” He asks as he runs his thumb over the collar.

“I… I don’t know.” Izaya answers between breaths. “You decide for me.”

Shizuo smiles as he turns it on. “Tell me if it’s too much.” He rams the toy into Izaya’s prostate.

“Nnnngh… aaah…! Aaahnnn… Aaah…” His voice is so sweet as his scent grows even stronger. Izaya’s cock starts to squirt precum as Izaya’s hand grips onto Shizuo’s shoulder.

“That’s better,” Shizuo mutters, eyeing the delicious looking precum. He swallows the drool pooling under his tongue and decides not to touch it. He wants to see if Izaya will come hands-free or jerking himself off. He’d love to see either one of those.

“Shizuo… Shizuo…” His omega trembles, tossing and turning as the alpha continues to ram the dildo right into his prostate again and again, like how Shizuo plans to with his own cock one day. Watching his omega moan under him while Shizuo administers each and every thrust is more gratifying than anything else. 

Shizuo leans down to cover Izaya’s body with his own since Izaya feels unsafe so easily. The physical touch is supposed to provide a feeling of security and Izaya needs all he can get right now. He stops thrusting to grind the toy deep inside of Izaya.

“Hnnnnngh….!!!” Izaya starts to drool as he grits his teeth when Shizuo doesn’t relent with the vibration continuously rubbing against that sweet spot. “S-Shizuo! Shizuo! Oh god… aaahnnn!!! Aaaahhh!!!” Izaya jerks his hips upward, trying to move away reflexively again. Shizuo licks his lips, wishing that dildo was his own cock already. He can feel his own erection stir at the sound of his omega moaning his name. 

Shizuo reluctantly removes his hand from Izaya’s neck to pin his hips down again. He’s not even thinking about how long he’s keeping the vibrator almost stationary against Izaya’s sensitive spot. Izaya slumps on the bed with a heaving sigh, his skin already glistening with sweat. His shirt and stomach area is wet with several squirts of precum.  _ Fuck, _ Shizuo wants to lick Izaya’s stomach. Well, he always wants to lick Izaya’s stomach. But now especially.

He contents himself with sniffing Izaya’s supple neck and when he does that he just can’t resist dipping his tongue down under the collar just a little bit to taste his skin. It earns him a soft shudder from his omega.

Finally, it occurs to Shizuo to start thrusting the toy again. He draws it back almost all the way to the tip before shoving it back in again.

“Haaahh…!!” Again, Izaya’s hips jerk up to be stopped by Shizuo’s hand. The omega curls his legs around the blond and whimpers. “P-please stop toying with me and let me come…” 

“I want you to come,” Shizuo whispers back. “Just go ahead and let go.” If Izaya also decided to come by humping Shizuo, he would be okay with that.

Izaya’s breath hitches when Shizuo whispers to him seductively, his eyes flickering up again before shyly lowering them.”I… I can’t… let go.” And that seems to be a major problem with Izaya. Izaya always seems to surround himself with all this unnecessary pride and to the point of being prude even around his own alpha. Izaya would do better if he could just let it all go.

“Yes, you can.” He lets go of Izaya’s hips to take Izaya’s hand again and guides it to Izaya’s straining cock. He would have been pretty surprised if Izaya had come hands-free outside of any sort of heat anyway.

“You don’t need me to teach you this, do you?”

“H-help me.” Izaya’s voice is husky and needy, his fingers tightening around Shizuo’s shoulder and it reminds the alpha of the way Izaya clawed at his back when Shizuo fucked his thighs. “Help me come…”

Shizuo makes Izaya wrap his own fingers around his cock. “I know you can do this much, Izaya.” His whisper comes out a bit lower this time. “Just tighten your grip… and pull up.” Shizuo wants Izaya to get comfortable with his own body and sexuality. He wants Izaya to learn to be comfortable with his own body and to enjoy their love-making, instead of fearing it.

“You’re so unfair…” Izaya whimpers as he is forced to touch himself again. He still does as told, his fingers wrapping gracefully around his own cock to stroke up again and again, slowly pumping himself as his cheeks turn flaming red.

“That’s right… you’re doing it perfectly.” Shizuo keeps his hand on Izaya’s and rolls the vibrator against his prostate again.

“I hate you so much right now.” Izaya buries his face against Shizuo’s shoulder.

Normally words like that would be enough to send Shizuo into a panic, but right now, he’s perfectly calm. He actually chuckles.

“I know you don’t mean that, beautiful. Now, go ahead and come when you’re ready.” Not that Shizuo’s going to rush him when he gets to watch Izaya’s hand pump his own cock, albeit guided by Shizuo’s just a little. He angles the vibrator up sharply.

“Nnngh… nnhg… Aaaahh!!” Izaya suddenly jerks at the angle and shudders hard, more precum squirting out. He sinks even more into the pillows as he whimpers softly. “B-bully…” But after several sweet moans and luscious pleading, Izaya finally comes hard as his alpha beckons him.

Shizuo thrusts the dildo a few more times to extend his orgasm before turning the vibration off and slowing the pace to help Izaya ride it out. The omega holds onto him for dear life as he comes down from his high, covered in sweat and cum. Gradually, Shizuo slows the pace to a stop before easing the dildo out and pulling him into a tight hug.

If this is bullying, he might like bullying Izaya. Just a bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!

 

Izaya struggles to put words to the level of mortification and humiliation he’s experienced. On a scale of one to ten, it’d be at one thousand! He couldn’t believe Shizuo had literally watched him… touch himself. Even Kadota didn’t do that and they’ve been naked together in public baths since they were kids and… just in general, they’ve done a lot of things together, even going to the first omega house together so Kadota could lose his virginity (which he didn’t, to Izaya’s dismay) but still! No! Ugh, just…

It’s not certain exactly what is so mortifying about being watched while being taught how to masturbate, but it was revolting to Izaya. So much so that he’d rather have Shizuo take control and personally violate him rather than having the alpha humiliate him in such a vulgar manner.

Shizuo’s back to being domestic after what was apparently supposed to be a clinical explanation of how to  _ fuck himself _ and is now spoon feeding him the dinner that Izaya made for the two of them, just like a good housewife. To which, Izaya forces himself to smile and eat, like the good obedient omega he is trying to portray.

After Shizuo locks him in his cage and leaves for his work, Izaya’s exhausted. He is tempted to go to bed instead of reading the last book he has borrowed from the library. He isn’t sure if he should bring up the fact that he has finished reading all the books they’ve borrowed from the library from a week ago. All thirty-seven or so books. It might be a too short amount of a time for Shizuo to comprehend and Izaya certainly didn’t want to freak out the alpha with his intelligence. Alphas don’t like smart omegas, and that’s a fact. 

Izaya sighs as he flips through the last few pages of his last unread book, unable to focus. His mind keeps going back to what happened earlier and replaying it over and over in his head makes him wonder how he could have prevented it, or what he should have said to...

No, there was no other way. Shizuo is a pushy guy, especially when he wants something. 

No, not pushy. Obsessive. Izaya knows this by now. Shizuo tends to obsess over one item or subject and pours his entire attention into the matter. Before Izaya, it seems he had a thing for plants and Kasuka, and well, he still does to some degree. And nesting. He has a thing for that too. 

But even if Izaya had somehow found the right words to persuade him out of it, Izaya isn’t sure if he could have persuaded himself out of it after he had a whiff of Shizuo’s pheromones. 

His pheromones are… special. There is no other way to put it. Perhaps it’s because Shizuo’s S-rank. Izaya has definitely never smelled something so attractive. And it does not help that Shizuo himself is handsome, sexy, eye-candy. Izaya rolls his eyes at himself. Okay, fine he can admit to himself that Shizuo is hot, he’s gotten over this already. Just because Shizuo is good-looking doesn’t mean that Izaya wants to do…  _ stuff _ . But it does help… when they have to do things that are…  _ sexual _ in nature. Izaya wants to use those things like a form of bribery to try to keep Shizuo in line. Except, he’s not quite sure if it’s actually working. Shizuo is probably not tamable, not completely. But Izaya knows that despite the humiliation, he’s much safer with Shizuo than with anyone else right now. And until a better option comes around, he’s betting on staying with Shizuo for a bit longer. 

Which is why he won’t pick the lock to his cage and leave any time Shizuo is away. And at the same time, he won’t promise to mate with Shizuo one day. 

After all, Izaya likes options. In a body he can’t control, he wants to have as much control of all his options as possible. Otherwise, he will go insane. 

Since he’s feeling better about himself after being able to compartmentalize his earlier trauma with explanations of why he couldn’t have avoided it and how his life isn’t in a complete downward spiral, he’s finally able to doze off.

It doesn’t take long before he starts dreaming about voices whispering to each other. 

“Shh… be quiet! They’ll hear us!”

“Who’s ‘they’? This is a ghost town, there’s no one renting any of the rooms in any of these buildings for an entire block!”

“Yeah well, you never know. It’s better to be safe. We’re here to steal shit ‘n we don’t steal from ghosts.”

“We saw him leave, ya idiot. It’s fine. As long as that alpha’s gone, it should be an empty building. We know his work schedule.”

“Well, if our sources are right, it’s not just that insanely high ranked alpha that lives here. There should be a delicious smelling omega… and there. It’s open. Easiest lock to pick.”

Izaya hears a clicking sound in his dream and the door opening. He blinks his eyes, a bit hazy and confused with sleep as he hears a low whistle. 

“Wow, look at this here, a cute omega, all locked in a travel-size cage, right fer the pickin’. This is so fuckin’ easy!”

“Shhh! Don’t wake him up! See if there’s anything else to take.”

“In this dump? Shit, there’s literally nothing but potted plants.”

Izaya blinks his eyes again as his dream turns into a weird direction. This makes no sense but it also does. There was that one time when they had to let their pheromones air out and opened the window… right before they broke the makeshift door to prevent Aoba from smelling them. It didn’t do too much good inside the apartment but if someone happened to be walking by…

Izaya feels the cage being lifted and he sits up, now fully awake.  He stares wide-eyed at the four men grinning ear to ear as they leered at him. They are all wearing masks. 

“Oops, look who’s awake.”

“Aww… he’s scared. Don’t worry lil fella, we’ll take goooood care of you.”

“...Hey, there.” Izaya could feel his heart beating, pounding as he replies, trying to keep the conversation going. His main worry about the cage had been to escape from fire and that was one of the reasons he learned how to pick locks but his second worry was this, thieves coming in and himself being trapped in a cage and unable to do anything about it. Still, Izaya had thought that sneaking in a weapon into the cage was too risky. There is nothing but the large kitchen knife that could possibly be a weapon and it would’ve been hard to explain to Shizuo why he would even have it in his cage. The alpha enjoyed helping him with ‘nesting,’ and a few paperclips can look innocent enough to keep or hide, but not a large kitchen knife. 

“Are you guys here to… take me away?” Izaya asks with his wide doe eyes, while he’s desperately thinking of every possible scenario where he could escape this unharmed. There really aren’t many options. If he struggles now and fights, he will get hurt and the men’s security will tighten. He looks around and there’s four men ogling him, one that just flipped the mattress over to see what’s underneath, and another one who is going through the drawers. He hears noise coming from the bathroom so there’s clearly more. It’s never been so packed in this one tiny room. Trying to fight them all is clearly not an option and even if he could outrun them, there’s a high possibility that someone is waiting outside with a getaway car.  

He can try to talk his way out of this. Then if he can’t, as scary as it may be, he’d have a better chance waiting and looking for an opening when he can escape like he did with  Nebula.

… Especially since the time for his heat is so close. 

Izaya knows this is probably his best option, but he’s beyond terrified about being kidnapped and turned into a toilet before he can find an opening to escape. 

“Are you going to be a good boy and come along with us? We’ll treat you really well~” one of the guys grins behind his mask. This must be how they are able to bypass the overbearing weight of Shizuo’s alpha scent.

There is no need to even pretend to be scared. He is scared. But Izaya’s gearing himself to get mentally ready for anything. He knows struggling now is futile, especially if they find out that he can pick the lock with his hidden paperclips.

“Is it going to be better than this dump?” Izaya tries, pretending to be interested.

The men cackle and hoot. Seriously? These guys are really awful at acting like ‘nice men who came to save him.’

“Oh, don’t worry baby. We’ll make sure it’s much better than this dump.”

“In fact, we’ll make sure to ‘dump’ loads on you.” The vulgar play on words has the men laughing amongst themselves even more and jokingly pat each other on their backs. Izaya tries hard not to roll his eyes and laugh at them. 

“Alright. I’m fine with that.” Izaya smiles nervously as he goes along with them. “Can I stretch my legs later? This cage is cramped.” Izaya wonders if they are planning to dump him in a trunk or backseat, there’s a chance where he can pick locks and escape faster. If not, then maybe he can win some points now so once they do stop and open up the cage, he can find an opening then. Regardless, the key is communication. He can’t have them gag him at all costs, especially with his heat coming any day now.

“Oh, look boss! I found the jackpot!” One of the men shouts and Izaya takes in a sharp breath.  _ D-did they find the diamond-studded silk?! _

No, the man comes out of the bathroom where Izaya had stashed half of their earnings under the sink. Izaya sighs inwardly in relief as the men cheer and count the money. The man going through Shizuo’s drawer where the silk is hidden stops mid-way and doesn’t bother looking through the rest. 

“Alright, let’s get out of here.” 

Izaya takes in a deep breath as the men pull the bed sheet to cover his cage then pick it up to carry him away. 

Izaya is once again reminded how there is only so much an omega can do to stay safe in this perilous world ruled by alphas.The only place he ever felt safe since becoming an omega was this apartment that had become his sanctuary. And now it’s been violated with the ugly, dirty footprints of these men. He hates this disgusting helpless feeling as he feels himself being carried away. Once again, he will be forced to figure out how to escape his current situation as a man stuck in an omega body.

* * *

The end of Shizuo’s shift could not come fast enough. Today was such a long day. Not because anything happened, it’s just that any day away from his omega is a long day. Thankfully, he brought some of Izaya’s underwear so he could sniff it on his break. That was much better than a cigarette, which he’s down to smoking once a week. Shizuo was definitely nervous leaving for work when Izaya’s heat is so close but they should have at least a few days before it starts and Shizuo feels bad about taking so much time off recently. He figured he should at least go in a few times and talk to his boss about his situation a little. His boss is always so understanding when Shizuo talks with him in person.

He’s almost home and he’ll get to let Izaya out of his cage and hold him again. He does feel a little bad about making Izaya practice when he didn’t want to but with how little experience Izaya has Shizuo still feels as though making him practice was for his own good. Izaya wanting Shizuo to be the one to touch him was a very pleasant thought but if he’s not mating Izaya in this heat cycle, then he shouldn’t be touching Izaya. Simple as that. He still doesn’t get why Izaya had to make such a fuss about it.

But it’s okay because Izaya forgave him and Shizuo got to start feeding him again, just like he did before Aoba came into their lives. Hopefully, Izaya will start to return the favor.

When Shizuo gets back to their apartment he’s expecting nothing but the mouth-watering scent of his omega mingled comfortably with his own smell. But there’s something sour that cuts through the smell of their paradise. Foreign scents of alphas and betas stain the air, stinging Shizuo’s nose. Shizuo rushes up to their front door, clinging to the hope that whoever these people were they left, avoiding Shizuo’s pheromones that surround the place as most do. His heart stops when he sees their front door ajar from a break in.

There’s a ringing in Shizuo’s ears when he throws the door open. He doesn’t notice the way the doorknob gets stuck in the drywall from the amount of force he used. He doesn’t notice the mess of the ransacked apartment. He only notices that the cage in the center of the room where he left his omega is gone.

 


	21. Chapter 21

 

Izaya’s heart pounds so hard, it feels as if it might break out of his rib cage. He remains obediently quiet as he’s loaded into a van. There’s no point in screaming for help, there are no passer-byes. None who would help an omega in a cage being taken away by seven or more ruffians, anyway.

“Looks like it’s not a great haul,” the driver scowls as the men come empty-handed save for one cage. “Not even a T.V.?”

“Nah, that T.V. wasn’t worth shit. But look at this!” One of the men with a black smiley-face painted on his mask holds up the wad of cash. The driver high-fives the guy and steps on the gas.

“Hey, hey. That’s not all, is it? I thought you found more. You’d better not be hiding the good from us,” a weasely-looking guy grumbles from the back.

“Chill. Have I ever held back on you guys?” Smiley-face says.

“All the time!” The rest of the group snaps. 

“Whatever, our rendezvous point is just up ahead. Make sure no one is tailing us.”

“Don’t worry, we got this. According to Mimizu, that big blond guy is still at the club, bartending. And it’s still a ghost town.”

“Yep, no one’s gonna catch us. The place didn’t even have any surveillance cameras. It’s like the whole building is stuck in the 80’s.”

“Too easy, too easy.”

“Anyways, stay on guard, we’re not done until we hand this guy to those Awakusu guys and get our payment.”

Izaya’s ears perk up at the mention of ‘Awakusu’ and he shivers quietly. Awakusu-kai is a local yakuza but one of the bigger ones in the area, if not the biggest, rivaling only next to Asuki Group. He knows that Awakusu-kai usually deals with illegal trades of guns and exotic animals and shipping on the black market merchandise overseas to undercut the tax laws. He knows they own a few nightclubs, but he did not know that they also dabbled in human trafficking… or worse - slave trade… selling prostitutes for yakuza-owned illegal ‘safe houses,’ which are actually brothels in disguise.

Izaya remembers that sex toy shop for omegas with the hidden back room… Where that A-rank omega was used as a private toilet for anyone all day. His heart sinks deep into his gut as bile rises up into his throat. He doesn’t want to be treated like that, ever. Like property or a thing; a sex toy without a mind. The thought makes Izaya freeze in fear and he forces himself not to dwell on it, or else he really will not be able to act when an opening finally presents itself. He needs to stay alert and think. 

Soon, they arrive at their destination, or so Izaya thinks since the van comes to a stop and they turn off the engine. Izaya tries to think of every single pro and con, trying to decide if it’s better to run before the exchange with the yakuza or to wait a bit longer and hope he doesn’t get shipped out of the country, at least. 

After a few moments, he hears another car outside come to a stop. Then, to his amazement, all the men get out of the car to greet another group of men in suits.  _ Yakuza _ . Izaya takes a deep breath and wills his trembling hands steady enough to unlock the cage door. It is now or never, waiting will just give his capturers more time to bring Izaya to an even more secure place. With no men actually inside the van to keep watch, Izaya decides to take this chance. If he’s caught it’s unlikely they will kill him as he’s the merchandise… possibly hurt him but not too much. Hopefully. 

When he hears the men start talking, Izaya guesses it’s negotiation, he quickly but quietly opens the cage and unlocks the back door of the van. He peeks out the window and he sees most of the men at the front and on the right side of the van. So he carefully opens the left back door. 

The loud siren-like alarm screeches as the car door is opened and Izaya explodes out of the van, sprinting for the nearest exit because his life depends on it. Izaya panics as he berates himself, ‘ _ Of course they had the car alarm turned on, idiot!’ _

There’s more yelling and screaming as the men start chasing him. Izaya quickly turns around the corner, running blindly, everything in his brain shut down except for the need to get as far away as possible when-

*SLAM*

The only sound he can hear is the ringing in his head as he feels a sense of vertigo. Pain pounds through his head to the beat of his frantic heart as he falls to the ground and the last thing he sees is Smiley-face grinning with a baseball bat. 

The world goes black.

* * *

Izaya groans as he wakes up. He doesn’t give the world enough time to come into focus before he tries to sit up and bangs his head on the stupid cage that he hates so much. The pain is ten times worse than usual on his fresh injury. He rubs his head as he hears several snickers coming from above him. And Shizuo almost never laughs so Izaya knows this nightmare isn’t over yet.

“Oh, look. Our little princess is awake.”

“Had a sweet dream, little princess? Still searching for your dream prince?”

The cruel men’s laughter draws Izaya to full awareness as he takes in the bleak surroundings. It looks like a dimly lit basement made of concrete from floor to ceiling, cold and dark on Izaya’s poorly covered skin and illuminated only by sickly yellow hanging light bulbs. The space is packed with wooden crates and the reek of alcohol, sweat, and artificial heat. Among the crates is a pile of cages, stacked together like dog kennels in a kill shelter. It’s too dark for Izaya to see the details but there’s enough light for him to make out motionless shadows in most of the cages. There’s really no mystery where the omegas from the empty cages are. They’re strewn across the room, some on the concrete, others thrown over a loose cage or a crate being used for the only thing they’re good for in this place. Izaya’s cage is separated from the largest pile but judging by the cages next to him with motionless omegas inside he’s part of the start of a new one.

Izaya scoots back until his back touches the cold bars. He is gripped by fear as he hears grunts from the alphas accompanied by the slapping of skin from their thrusting hips and the sorrowful moans of omegas echoing through the basement.

“This one is really cute.” says a leering man with hollow cheeks and wide eyes. “I can’t wait to bang it into the floor until it’s a moaning mess.”

“We can’t get them pregnant, they are goods you know.” Another man with sparse, wiry facial hair chimes in.

“We still gotta give this the pill to find out which rank he is, right?” One of them shakes a bottle of pills eagerly. “The seller was braggin’ about him being pretty high rank. I haven’t fucked a B-rank in a while, I’m hoping this one is maybe even an A.”

“Yeah, well don’t get your hopes up, he’s probably lying. There’re no high-ranks where this one is from.”

“Hey man, I’d rather fuck a cute looking C-rank, than fuck an ugly A-rank. It’s a sin to be born that ugly and have such a delicious aroma, seriously.” A guy with a scar over his brow spits as he rolls his eyes. 

Izaya jumps, nearly banging his head again as the man holding the pill bottle crouches next to him by the cage. 

“Alright, princess. Are you going to be a good pet and take this pill?” He holds one red and white pill between his two fingers. Izaya has a sinking feeling he knows this pill. It’s probably a type of aphrodisiac, made to induce heat in omegas. He’s heard that yakuza buyers force their omegas to take it every day to keep them in heat twenty-four-seven, making them into sex toys all year round. 

“W-what does it do?” Izaya asks. They haven’t raped him yet it seems, but it doesn’t seem like they did it out of kindness. They clearly plan to fuck him very soon. Izaya’s just lucky they didn’t decide to take a turn with him while he was unconscious. 

“It’ll make you feel  _ very good _ ,” The man gives him a toothless grin as he pushes his fingers with chipped, yellow nails through the bars. Izaya already feels violated. Shizuo… never stuck any part of himself through the cages while Izaya was inside without consent. 

Now, Izaya’s starting to realize how much care and respect Shizuo treated him with despite his lack of finesse. He feels sick as if he’s already been penetrated as he takes the pill from those dirty fingers. 

“Good little pet. Alright, swallow it. Here’s some water.”

Izaya knows that it’s most likely impossible for anyone to escape in this situation. At least, for most people. Shizuo could probably walk in and out of this place whenever he felt like it. But… maybe Izaya could too. It might be a long shot, but if this pill can induce his already imminent heat, then a certain possibility will be open for Izaya.

“Will it, make me… very horny?” Izaya asks as he fingers the pill, holding it near his mouth. 

“Well, if you want to be.” The man snickers. “It’ll make you feel good, don’t worry. You’ll love it.”

“It’ll send you to the heavens!” The man with the bad facial hair hoots. 

Then the man with the wide eyes smirks and smacks his lips as he joins in on the joke, “Or  _ we _ will send you to heaven.” Then they both cackle and jab at each other’s ‘wit’ 

Izaya sighs. Why do all these hoodlums lack style?  

Seeing that there’s no other viable option, Izaya swallows the pill. 

Then the men stare at Izaya, grinning. The one with the bulging eyes even starts to unzip his pants.

“W-wait!” Izaya’s eyes widen and he presses himself against the bars even harder. “T-the pill… it’s not working yet!”

“So?” The one with the scar over his brow shrugs. “We didn’t say we have to wait.”

“B-but…” Izaya tries to think despite his encroaching panic taking over his mind.

“We’re going to be showing you a good time anyway, no reason to not start the fun early.” The man who had already unzipped his pants is stroking his cock meaningfully. 

“No, no. I… I meant….” Izaya swallows hard. He desperately grasps for something to say. Something clever enough to buy him time. “Well, I want to take all of you. But before that, I want to stretch myself.”

“Oh, we’ll be doing that for you.” The toothless grinning man grinned wider. 

“B-but don’t you want a show? It’ll feel good too if I’m lubed properly…” Now, Izaya’s pulling whatever he can think of to stall.  _ What would Daji do?  _ ”I can give a good show… Don’t you want one? A free show?” Izaya pulls down the front of his large oversized shirt that Shizuo gave him to wear. He wishes Shizuo’s lingering scent would be enough to keep them away. “Your boss… goes to those elite class shows right? Well, I can show you a good time. I’ve been trained.”

Now all the men stopped leering. They stared at him, and even in the dim light, Izaya can see the man with the yellow nails swallow hard. Izaya has them listening, for now, at least. “Go on.” The one with the scar says.

“Like I said, throw me some lube. I’ll show you those ten thousand yen shows that you can’t afford to go to… for free.” Izaya licks his lips seductively, hoping his lie is believable enough. 

It must have been, or maybe they’re just desperate enough because one of the men tosses a sticky bottle of lube into the cage.

* * *

 

A young man wearing a fedora hums an unknown tune to himself while he unlocks a cage. He holds his hand out to a shivering female omega and whispers to her through his mask, “No worries, mademoiselle. For an exquisite beauty such as yourself shouldn’t be kept locked away in a cage, but free like a bird of the wild. Come with me and I can show you the open sky that belongs to you!”

The girl stares at him, baffled. She is grateful that she is being rescued, but is terrified of the man with the baseball bat filled with crooked nails and covered in blood. She just witnessed him violently take down her captor and stain his white mask with the blood of that yakuza. Still, she takes his hand and scrambles out of the cage. 

“Ah, good, good. Please follow the young man named Walker, right outside the door. He’ll guide you to our escape van. Ah, no need to thank me, for I’m just a self-made robin hood, to save the beautiful treasures from the horrid bureaucrats. My name? Yes, although it pains me to say that I can not reveal my name but-”

“Rocchi, she’s already gone you know.” A girl in a mask taps the man called Rocchi on the shoulder while he is still in his monologue. 

“Ah, already? ‘Tis such a sad and lonely wind, this breeze.” ‘Rocchi’ sighs mournfully as he tips his fedora hat forward down towards his already masked face.

“We’re in a room with no windows.” The girl sighs. “Anyways, we’ve freed all the omegas in this section, so you go down that one. And stop freeing only the girls, our boss said the male omegas need to be released too.”

“But I thought that’s your job. I free the female, and you can free the male, Erika-chan.” Rocchi points out. 

Erika giggles through the mask. “No, no, Rocchi. That’s just not efficient. There are too many hallways in this safehouse. We gotta rescue them all fast before the reinforcements come. So you go down that hallway and free everyone.  _ Everyone. _ Got it? That’s an order from me, Chikage Rokujou-kun!” Erika slams her foot down. 

“Of course, anything for my dearest butterfly,” Chikage reaches to kiss her hand but she quickly pushes him towards the hallway she had pointed while running the opposite down the opposite hallway. 

“Ah, such is farewell, but parting is as sweet as it is bitter. We will meet again.” 

“In ten minutes Rocchi! Hurry up or we’ll miss the escape van!” Erika hollered an answer to Chikage’s nonsensical goodbye.

Chikage still watches until Erika disappears before he walks down the long hallway and staircase to the basement. He hopes that there will be more women to save. And since Erika requested it, maybe he’ll even be kind enough to kick down a few of the male omega’s cages.

The young man opens the door to the last room, hiding behind the wall. Then he quickly swings inside with his pepper spray in hand, the bloodied baseball bat in the other.

Chikage frowns behind his mask and tips his fedora up for a better view through his goggles, because he can’t believe what he is seeing. 

Half a dozen yakuza are moaning on the floor, their bodies bloodied and some seizing from stab wounds and in the center of them all is a young man in a simple white, tunic-like shirt, shivering and barely standing. Chikage notes that he has a collar on, meaning he’s an omega.

“What the hell happened here… are you a martial artist? Or are you a trap?” Chikage lowers his pepper spray and rests the bat on his shoulder. Something strange is going on and he isn’t about to let his guard down. 

“Neither,” the omega groans as he stares at Chikage, specifically, his mask. “You’re not one of them, are you?”

“No. I’m part of the omega resistance. I came to save you. Well, all of… the omegas I suppose.” Chikage adds since Erika did mention to save all the genders. 

“Good, I wasn’t sure what I’d have to do… to get you take off that mask.” The omega laughs weakly. 

“Well, the getaway van is down the hallway.” Chikage shrugs off the male omega. Whatever happened, it made his job much easier. First, he goes for the cages with the females. As luck had it, all the omegas in this section of the room were male so Chikage sighs and releases them without any of his usual grandeur. Even the ones who are shivering in fear and the ones who clearly just got molested and are covered in cum, Chikage just tosses them a cloth to wipe it off and points them toward the door.

“Is there not a single lady in here? What a waste.” Chikage clicks his tongue in disappointment.

“Are you… straight?” 

Chikage turns around to notice that one omega in a white shirt is still there in the center of the room, sitting on the cage, watching him curiously. 

“Why are you still here? I gotta get you out of here so I can actually go save the ladies, so come on. Get going.”

“It’s just, I’ve never met a  _ straight _ ... before.” The omega looks at him strangely with a tilt of his head. “I wonder if it’ll work on you, even if I’m not… your type.”

Chikage rolls his eyes behind his mask but feels an odd chill up his spine. Like he’s about to become an ant under a magnifying glass. “Okay, buddy. I know most people in the world are bi, but straight people are people too, okay. No need to discriminate because they only swing one way. And yes, you’re  _ sooo _ not my type. So don’t even think about it. Besides, it’s a spectrum in my case.” Clearly, Chikage’s been through this conversation multiple times in his life as he carefully phrases his words not to actually include himself in that category. Straight people are rare in society, and even if they are straight, they never announce their sexual orientation as that makes them abnormal, thus shunned. Most people just don’t understand how someone could just swing one way when they can swing both ways and have more opportunities. Regardless, since many continue to think Chikage is straight, he’s gotten used to being a bit defensive for straight people, when in reality, he does swing both ways; it just depends on the person. He just leans toward one side a bit more.

“W-well, you see…” the omega weakly smiles. “They gave me a pill…and I can’t… really walk. I can barely stand.”

“Oh great,” Chikage groans. He did not want to touch a male other than the exception of his boss, but he promised Erika, he’ll help all the male omegas too. So he swoops under to support the omega with his shoulder. 

“So, how did you do...this?” Chikage asks out of curiosity as he kicks one of the men groaning in pain. It looks like his legs were impaled with a wooden shard from one of the broken crates, somehow. 

“Well, that’s a secret.” The omega smiles whimsically, rather creepy in Chikage’s eyes. Chikage decides not to bother, talking to men in most cases is a pointless exercise. 

Just then, a tall brown haired masked man bursts into the room shouting, “Chikage, hurry up! You’re the last one to-...! I-Izaya, is that you?!”

The omega named Izaya must have recognized his boss’s voice as he stammers, “D-Dotachin?”

“Izaya! It  _ is _ you!” 

Chikage is bewildered as his boss rushes forward to pull the omega into a tearful embrace.  _ Dotachin? _

He tips his fedora up and frowns behind the mask as the conversation continues. 

“I have so much to ask you! Where have you been? Has anyone hurt you? It’s been so long since you called me and you were in trouble so I - I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” 

“A lot happened and I don’t think we have much time right now…” The omega says and Chikage couldn’t agree more. 

“Alright, boss. If we don’t hurry, the reinforcements will be on top of us. We gotta get out of here.”

“Right, I guess we can catch up later.” His boss sighs. Then he takes the omega’s other shoulder to help him up. “They drugged you, I take it.”

“Yeah…” The omega named Izaya purses his lips as they start walking down the long hallway too slowly for comfort.

“I have an antidote here…” His boss starts to search his pockets when they hear shouting and running footsteps. 

“Uh, oh. Trouble.” Chikage lets go of the omega to step forward with his bat raised.  He can feel his boss Kadota tense up behind him. The omega they’re carrying is dead weight and it’ll be hard to fight in tight quarters while protecting this Izaya person that Kadota seems so fond of.

“Hold on to that pill for me, Dotachin. I’ll take care of this.” The omega says as he touches Chikage’s shoulder, brushing past him. “Stand back.”

Chikage can’t figure out what the omega could possibly be thinking of doing to oppose a group of six… no, seven yakuza. But then again he did find Izaya out of his own cage surrounded by a bunch of the bastards bleeding out. That gives him enough reason to pause and let this omega step forward.

“Izaya, get back here!!” His boss shouts and tries to rush forward to grab him but Izaya keeps him at a distance with a raised hand. His resolve must be enough to give Kadota pause as well. 

“Your masks… they’re on tight, right?”

“Y-yeah?” Chikage touches the side of the mask, feeling that same chill he did back in the room. 

“Good.” He squares his shoulders and takes a deep breath before trying to speak.

“S- nnnghh!” The omega grits his teeth and winces in pain as he holds onto the side of his head and tries again.  “ _ Stop!” _

To everyone’s shock, the yakuza stop in their tracks. They look just as confused as Chikage and Kadota who look at each other, touching their masks again nervously, wondering if it’s possible they too have fallen under the spell of what is undoubtedly a command. 

“Let us through,” Izaya says, quickly gaining confidence. The men actually part like the red sea, making room for them to pass by. 

“No, way….” Chikage whispers, still watching the group in front of them carefully. “Are you really an omega?”

When Izaya takes a step forward, several of the yakuza members struggling against the command shift as if they are about to break free, few manage to raise their weapons and step forward. 

The omega sighs as if he’s regretting this as one of the stronger alphas screams a battle cry and actually manages to charge forward. 

“Stop!” He commands once more and the male barely stops, still screaming and struggling now to raise his arms in an attempt to cover his ears, as if trying not to listen. The omega grits his teeth and yells louder so he can be heard, “Stab yourself in the legs, now!”

Then, to Chikage’s awe, all the yakuza grab their weapons and stab each of their legs, screaming in pain as most of them crumple to the ground. 

“Keep stabbing!!” The omega winces once more, the pain evident on his face as he stumbles on his next step forward. Kadota is at his side immediately there to grab him and help him up on his shoulder again. 

“Let’s get out of here.” Kadota starts hurrying forward as fast as he can while supporting the omega’s weight and Chikage follows.  

One of the yakuza manages to grab Kadota’s ankle weakly, sputtering and sweating with pain.“Y-you won’t get away with this! S-Shiki-san will have your head!”

The omega turns to look down at the man coldly. Then he asks, “Did you molest the omegas here in this building?”

“Yes, and I’ll gladly fuck your brains out when I catch you.” He growls, harsh breaths hissing between his teeth. “And because of this, I’m gonna make it hurt…!” 

“Oh good. Now I don’t feel wrong telling you to chop your own dick off.” The omega spits and leans on Kadota more heavily just to kick the man in the head. Chikage doesn’t look after that, knowing what’s coming. He hears the bloodcurdling scream as the yakuza obeys. He doesn’t feel sorry for the man but he can’t help feeling a little sick. One of the foundational beliefs of the resistance is that it is unethical for alphas to issue commands as a form of control. Alphas inside the resistance swear to never use it. However, this is an omega with that ability. The irony is heavier in reality that he could have ever imagined it being when some of the omegas in the resistance would joke about what they would do if the tables were suddenly turned. Chikage wonders if he and Kadota are witnessing the ultimate form of Karma. Perhaps this is justice. Or perhaps it’s the start of a new cycle of useless brutality?

And this is the guy that his boss has been looking for, and the boss is the one who brought a new wave of inspiration in the resistance and helped them grow in strength. Everyone in the resistance looks up to Kadota as the symbol for what it really means to be alpha - a leader through heart, never through force or fear. Not only does it feel like blasphemy that Kadota would desperately be seeking someone who would use a command ability not just to save himself but also for brutal revenge. If the whole resistance found out that the man that the boss had been searching for is like this…

Well, not like he would ever say anything, Chikage knows he’s rather loyal to a fault. Even if this does have the potential to ruin the golden alpha of the resistance, Chikage will be on Kadota’s side. Still, even if he doesn’t say anything, if this omega joins their team, soon someone will figure it out. And it’ll get ugly...

“How… did you do that? Was it the experiments at the Nebula facility?” Kadota asks the omega as he drags him down the hallway. The omega is sweating and he can barely keep up the half running pace. 

“Something like that…” He replies vaguely. But before they can continue their conversation, again there are shouts as more yakuza charge down the hallway towards them. The omega shouts the same commands and Chikage once again watches as the men stab their own legs. Most look horrified that they are following such a violent command as they continue to stab themselves. It is merciless and Chikage is more than just a bit confused. Commands… don’t normally work like this. He’s only seen greedy alphas tell someone to fork over their money from their wallets or at worst, tell them to hand over their project so they can get the promotion instead. He’s never seen people physically self-harming themselves because of a command. Granted, Chikage doesn’t know the limits of a command ability, he is only a beta and never had the ability to test it for himself. 

Chikage looks over at the pale, shaking omega who’s looking worse by the second. Was it the use of the command ability or the drug? It’s not clear. But it is clear that this omega can’t walk very well and his face is flushed, his forehead covered in sweat. Whatever drug he’s been given must’ve been very strong and his scent must be very heavy. If his boss wasn’t wearing that mask...Chikage decides not to think any further. 

They weave through the maze of hallways, going up higher and higher until eventually, they come out into the light overlooking the grand lobby of the art gallery that this place uses as a front. They’re at the top of a glistening center staircase overlooking the front desk and polished marble floor when they hear more shouting as an even larger group of yakuza storm them down below, running to the stairs. This time, they are wearing masks. 

“Shit, somehow they figured it out.” Chikage scowls as he looks up towards a surveillance camera. “I thought Togusa took down their security system?”

“I guess it’s back up again.” Kadota holds the omega closer to him, protective as always. “The van’s just outside but if they’re here… there’s a good chance that they had to leave us before they got caught.”

“Well,” Chikage taps his bat on the floor. “Boss, I’ll try to make a path for you. You get out of here with that guy, got it?”

“Rokujo, I’m not leaving you behind.” Is his boss’ stern reply and Chikage can’t help smiling. That’s one of the many things he loves about this man.

“Sorry to interrupt your lovely conversation, but I have a proposal to make before you sacrifice yourself unnecessarily.”

Chikage sighs and turns back to look at this omega who keeps ruining his vibe. He almost doesn’t feel cool around the guy. Almost. “What now? They got the mask on. You want me to rip them all off so you can shout a command? That’s going to take too long and they’ll rip us apart.”

“Actually, I agree with you on that,” the omega says as he tries to stand up a bit straighter. He looks around and points at to of the display pedestals. “That large vase. I want you to throw it out the window.”

“You want me to do what now?” Chikage looks at the vase and then back at the omega. 

“Look, you can ‘carve a path’ later if my plan doesn’t work. There were no windows underground. But here, there are. Just throw it.” 

“We’re three floors high and I’m sure there’s yakuza surrounding this building even if we jump for it and manage to not break our legs,” Chikage says as he grabs the heavy vase. “But fine, here it goes!” And as the yakuza starts charging up the stairs, Chikage takes his precious seconds to throw the vase across the room to break the large glass window. 

At first, nothing happens. So Chikage braces himself as he stands at the top of the staircase to knock down a few yakuza charging up at him when he  _ feels it _ .

A low rumble and vibration on the floor like an earthquake. Then the entire building shakes suddenly and everyone loses balance. Then it shakes again, and again. 

This isn’t an earthquake, Chikage realizes. 

The entire building starts to shake violently again with a loud pounding sound as if someone brought in a battering ram to pound against the outside of the wall. Then the wall bursts open with a crash sending chunks of brick and pieces of debris scattering inside. And with it, a large, blond bartender. 

Before Chikage can ask which side he is on, the man in bartender suit roars a battle cry and charges forward into the crowd of armed yakuza without hesitation, punching the men in front of him and sending them flying across the room. As if an omega using such a violence wasn’t enough freaky today, he had somehow summoned ‘violence’ incarnated into a human form. Chikage froze in awe at what Izaya could do, this time, his jaw drops as his mind is blown from the shock as every man in the path of this crazy blond is thrown through the top of the ceiling or the walls from the raw power of this furious man’s bare hands. And it dawns on Chikage that this isn’t necessarily a good thing as said-man is coming straight for them next.

Out of reflex, Chikage gets in front of his boss even though he knows he has no chance against this beast. What the hell is he, an experiment gone loose like Izaya?!

Suddenly, Chikage is pushed behind him roughly, forced out of the path of this monster as the omega hobbles forward.

“Shizu-chan, stop! They’re my friends!”

Before Chikage or Kadota can stop him, the omega jumps forward straight into the arms of the monster and kisses the bloodied, crazy murder-tornado square on the lips. Since he was roughly pushed back, his boss’ expression comes to his vision as his jaw drops while he gapes at the omega’s boldness if not bravery. 

Chikage isn’t sure how these two know each other but clearly, the kiss worked because the violent blond actually comes to a full stop to hold the omega close rather than tossing him aside. 

“Sorry if I scared you. I’m okay now.” The omega whispers to the larger man sweetly. The rest of what he says is inaudible due to the loud moaning and groaning of the bleeding men around them. Chikage lets out a deep sigh of relief as he didn’t realize he was holding his breath the entire time. Maybe he was actually a little scared on this mission… How lame of him.

“Izaya… Izaya, I was so scared…” The blond whispers back, pressing his face into the omega’s hair to smell him. The blond’s nose wrinkles in disgust and he grabs the back of Izaya’s head to force his face into his neck while he rubs his cheek over the omega’s hair. “I’m sorry I took so long. I came as fast as I could when I saw you were gone. Are you okay?”

“I know you did and look, I’m not hurt so it’s okay. Those two rescued me before something bad happened.” 

The blond turns to look at Chikage and Kadota darkly with his head still resting on top of Izaya’s. Chikage feels another chill of fear go down his spine, an instinctual response that tells his body to run rather than try to fight for the first time in his life. But the omega quickly places a hand on the blond ‘Shizu-chan’s’ face and turns his head so his eyes are focused on the omega. 

“Let’s go home, okay? I’m tired.”

“Izaya, wait!” Kadota stands up and Chikage has a sinking feeling that was a bad move. 

The omega and the blond beast turn. The beast bares his teeth and growls, starting to shift Izaya so he’s no longer between them. But before anything can happen, the omega quickly cuts in, likely saving them once again. “Sorry, Dotachin. Maybe another time. I’m too tired and I’d like to go now.”

Kadota looks at the pair helplessly and watches as the blond effortlessly scoops up the omega into his arms bridal style with utmost gentleness and care. The blond walks down the stairs and towards the lobby floor, grabbing a tablecloth along the way to wrap the omega tightly so his scent wouldn’t be so heavy. 

The omega peeks over behind the blond’s shoulder and looks directly at Kadota and Chikage knows that it’s meaningful between the two of them alone. Chikage sees the omega mouth words, what looks like, ‘I’m sorry,’ before the omega lowers his head to keep the now tamed beast’s attention. The omega was smiling and reassuring the blond that he did great and he wants to go home, as they both stepped through the hole in the wall. And finally, Chikage and his boss are left alone in a wreckage that looks as though it could only have been born of two natural disasters colliding.

Chikage really doesn’t understand much of what just happened, but he thinks he has a fairly good idea why the omega would choose to go with that man over Kadota, and again he realizes the importance of their omega resistance movement. If… if the world wasn’t so cruel, perhaps the omega wouldn’t have had to choose someone who can keep him safe over someone he clearly has a past and a special connection with. And even if Chikage knew his boss’ feelings for that particular omega and even if the omega had reciprocated back, it is even more clear to him, their relationship couldn’t have lasted, not with this crazy world where ranks still rule. 

Chikage stands up and pats his boss on the shoulder. 

“Let’s go home too, boss. At least you know, he’ll always be safe with whoever that was, right? I’m sure we’ll see them again.”

His boss never gave him a reply. 

* * *

Several miles away, in another building, the men nervously watch a screen, wondering if they will all be fired after tonight.

However, their boss keeps his cool as he watches the unimaginable unfold before him as if he’s just watching a movie, his expression impeccable. Folding his arms across his pristine white suit, the yakuza boss makes no comment as he smokes his cigar until the surveillance video comes to an end. 

“This is the last of it, Shiki-san,” one of the men replies nervously as he turns off the video footage from several hours ago. “The cleanup crew is still trying to cover it up before the police get the wind of it. We’ve lost all our merchandise and about sixty men, most are still hospitalized.”

“...I see.” The yakuza boss named Shiki nods in acknowledgment. Then after flicking his cigar to the floor and crushing the burning tail with his dress shoes, he adds, “Find that omega named Orihara Izaya, alive. I don’t care how. Find him and bring him to me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruka: Oh man, this chapter was so long! But I hope it was worth it! I imagined Shizuo breaking the wall and singing "I came in like a wrecking baall~~" but Baddy scrapped the idea ahahaha. Today is my birthday so it's an extra special day! Hope you liked the chapter, tell us what you liked about the chapter. We love your reviews!!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	22. Chapter 22

 

“When was your last heat cycle?” The doctor asked with his mask on, his pen scratching against a notepad already.

“About a month ago… it was my first.” The patient grumbled as he tugged against the straitjacket. “Is this all really necessary for the test?”

“All omegas are to wear the straitjackets. We’ve had cases where one of your kind got so horny, they jumped on some of our doctors and nurses and raped them. This is for your own safety as well as ours.” The doctor cooly explained and the patient rolled his eyes. It was always the omega’s fault, apparently. But who would save him if he was the one to be ravished during his heat cycle, which was closely approaching. In fact, it could be today or even tomorrow which was why he had voluntarily walked into one of Nebula’s facilities. To be tested and ranked for valid omega identification papers… so he could be sold and owned. He hated it but in order to properly live in this society as an omega, it was a necessity.

Of course, with the proper procedure, Izaya didn’t have to be sold to someone he didn’t choose. He planned to hand over his papers to his parents since they were his legal guardians, but he knew his parents. They weren’t even in Japan but even if they were, they didn’t really care enough to get involved in Izaya’s life. He had complete control over this and he was pretty sure his parents wouldn’t bother trying to sell him. Unless he asked for it.

“Are you sexually active?” The doctor asked next, making his patient turn red.

“N-no!” Izaya almost blurted out that he’s a virgin, but decided to bite his cheek instead.

The doctor checked that off.

“Are you currently on any medication?”

“Just that one time last month where I had to go to the safe house… for my first heat cycle.”

“How have you been handling other symptoms such as _wild_ mood swings?”

Izaya frowned. “I’m not having any mood swings.” He did not like the tone of the doctor, not to mention the assertion that Izaya had ‘wild’ mood swings.

The doctor checked that off too.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost done. Sign these papers and we will begin our rank testing tomorrow. You can go to your sleeping quarters for now.” His sleeping quarters. It was a barren room with just a bed, a toilet, and a sink that resembled a jail cell.

Izaya stared at his legal documents and sighed. As he scribbled his signature, it felt like he had signed his soul away.

The next few days were awful. It started with violent tremors that woke him up in the middle of the night feverish, covered in sweat and needing _sex_. The straitjacket prevented him from touching himself, resulting in multiple embarrassing attempts to seek relief against his mattress. Once he was fully in heat, the doctor drew his blood to test his hormone levels. For the next three days Izaya was subjected to many more tests, some he could discern a reason for and others which seemed too cruel and humiliating to be necessary. But not once was Izaya ever given a proper explanation. They had him taking written exams in mathematics, reading comprehension, and memory. They put him on a treadmill and documented how far he could walk without collapsing from heat. They gave him pelvic exams and performed invasive and painful urethral examinations. All the while they had him rate his pain from both the tests and his heat, not that anything would be done to alleviate either, and had him talk to a psychologist.

One of the worst days was when Izaya was given pills. He had hopefully thought they were finally giving him suppressants at first, like the ones from the safe house. Hell, even a few different kinds of suppressants to test their effectiveness. But no. These pills didn’t help him at all with his need for sexual relief, although he did experience intense migraines, nausea, and blacked out a few times. Izaya never figured out what those pills were supposed to be for.

Through all of that, only once did Izaya scream.

“Stop! Stop!!” Izaya started to writhe and cry as they stretched him to an impossible size. He thrashed about but the straps were tight, keeping him immobile. The nurses around him warned him to keep still not to injure himself, but the words meant nothing to Izaya in his state of panic and confusion. Once he was stretched wide enough, far too wide, a lit scope was inserted into the newly created space officially making this the most invasive procedure Izaya had experienced so far.

“Please hand me the curette.” The head doctor said, holding his hand out to a nearby nurse.

Since the table’s straps had been overused, that one fateful day, the leather snapped. Before the spoon-shaped tool could enter him, Izaya managed to rip his wrist free. When one of the nurses tried to restrain him, Izaya pushed her back, accidentally knocking her mask askew.

“Stop, I don’t want this anymore, let me out!” Izaya screamed and to his surprise, the nurse started to loosen the scope and pull it out and then unbuckle him from his straps.

“W-what are you doing?!” One of the doctors barked.

“He wants to be out. I need to let him out.” She said as she started to pull on the other straps. It took a few seconds for the sobbing omega to realize what was going on.

“Stop her!” One of the doctors shouted. But Izaya also cried, “ _No, let me out! Stop them!_ ” Izaya wasn’t sure why the nurse had a sudden altruistic change of heart but he wasn’t going to question it now.

She obediently lunged as she tried to unbuckle Izaya free while fighting back. She knocked off another doctor’s mask and with Izaya screaming over them to hurry up and set him free, this doctor too started to fight for him alongside the nurse.

“Push the panic button! Push the panic button!” One of the scientists screamed while trying to hold them off. The doctor had grabbed a needle and was stabbing at the scientists in the chaos while the nurse freed the patient. Izaya ran towards the door but one of the scientists had managed to run to the wall and slam his fist into the red button, screaming as he was also being stabbed violently. The doors locked automatically and the sleeping gas started to fill the room along with loud blaring sounds and Izaya gritted his teeth in anguish and smacked his fist against the glass window of the bolted door until his body started to slide down slowly, unable to overcome the gas.

 

After that incident, Izaya was sedated constantly. Izaya could not figure out how many hours or days had passed anymore. He wasn’t given the normal tests. He woke up to the pain of his blood being drawn or being given a sedative as the needle pricked his skin from time to time. He couldn't even count how many times it was happening as his mind was hazy and couldn’t focus. He could overhear certain conversations, one of them had someone whisper, “I can’t believe this, is he for real?! That rank is a myth!” “Shhh… you’ll wake him up. But no omega has ever done that before.” “Do you really think he is the… legendary S-rank?” “Well, the blood results said…”

But before Izaya could hear more, he was already drifting into sleep.

There were experiments surely, but Izaya could hardly remember them. Some were numbingly painful and he knew he must have tried to escape somehow but every time the drug made him forget and fall asleep. One time he overheard a conversation where they wanted to test his ‘command ability’ while another conversation suggested in cutting off his vocal cords so he could be “the ideal omega”. However, that would lose too much valuable data and thus the surgery was never performed.

The next time his hazy mind could focus, he was being washed. He wanted to be alert. He knew that something alarming was happening as he sat in a tub of scented water and the nurses washed him carefully with the sweetest scented soap and softest sponges like at a spa. It was the best treatment he had been given since he stepped into this nightmare asylum-like building.

He was made to stand as they wipe him dry and perfumed him. The smoothest silk was laid on his skin, studded with diamonds. As the nurses got him dressed in the most glittering garment, he heard one of the nurses say to another, “Is this even legal?”

“The higher-ups got permission.” Replied the other. “Nebula is the international ranking system, sanctioned by world leaders. As long as we can continue to study him, this should benefit all of us. All the guests have signed a contract to say that whoever wins, must cooperate with our research. This way we will see what happens to his powers when he’s mated… or even unmated and mated again, if his powers diminish or intensify, or even stay the same. There’s more benefit to us with collaborative development.”  

“Yeah but, is it _legal_.” The other woman asked with a concern. “He might be our only known S-rank!”

“This is a government funded project, of course, it’s legal. But if you want to survive in Nebula, don’t ask questions and follow orders.” The older nurse whispered back. “Else, Nation’s United might eliminate you. This isn’t just a small sector project anymore and we’re an international company. If the higher-ups want him, we have to give him over. And they’ve decided to further the research this way. I, for one, am glad he won’t be around in our building anymore. The higher sector will be taking over this project along with whoever wins the auction and becomes this omega’s new master. Apparently, our stocks have risen tremendously since he came.”

“I know we’re not _really_ non-profit…” The young nurse mumbles, “But an underground auction just seems so _dirty.”_

“You really are new aren’t you? The proceeds of his sales will benefit our research foundations by triple. Selling him to such big investors will prove that our research is worth all the funding.” The older nurse seemed confident while the younger one seemed a bit more hesitant.

“Still, I don’t quite understand the guest list. I understand why we’ve royalty from other countries as well as world leaders, I guess, but crime lords?”

“Ha, you say that like there’s a difference between politicians and criminals.”

Izaya’s mind was waking up slowly from the conversation that gnawed at the corner of his mind. Soon, he was chained in glittering gold handcuffs with a beautiful matching gold collar around his neck. There were flurries of movement backstage as he was led by a gold chain. As he was lead through the dark Izaya could pick up bits and pieces from frazzled whispers of the event coordinators. How many important guests couldn’t come due to such short notice, how frantic the legal team was drawing up contracts to ensure silence, and getting buyers to agree that they must fully cooperate with Nebula’s continued research on the first ever documented S-rank.

Once everyone was seated, Izaya was then led to a stage with bright lights wearing an outfit that could be described as a sex slave bride. Although his mind was still clouded by the drug, he couldn’t miss the bright light centered on him, making his diamonds sparkle. But it wasn’t the diamonds that were the center of attraction. Izaya was facing a strange auditorium where his audience was concealed by black boxes with one-way mirrors to ensure anonymity. His veil was lifted up and several large fans blew in all directions to spread his scent throughout the large opera stage. There was a gasp and awe from the audience at the first look at his face as if they were seeing a priceless treasure up for an auction such as a Mona Lisa painting or the Hope Diamond. It wasn’t just his looks, of course, but the potent scent of his heat. Then the pounding and clawing sounds of frantic guests from the insides of their boxes no doubt trying to rush the omega on instinct. Then came the furor of beeping sounds as all the guests started bidding and outbidding each other as fast as possible. Izaya’s mind was still dulled from the drugs but even if he could focus, he would have had a hard time keeping up with how high the bidding was going. He did understand that he was probably being sold, illegally, and that he had no control over his fate after all.

After the event, Izaya was brought off the stage. One of the brown haired scientists lifted him by the shoulders and gave him a quick shot with a hidden needle. Izaya jerked a bit and looked over at the sweetly smiling scientist who gave him a small wink and lifted a finger to his lips to silence him. The distant buzzing sound that clogged up his brain had been cleared and Izaya could suddenly hear the other men and women in lab coats congratulate themselves at their success. It was as if a bubble was popped in his ears as he could make out more than just a few words. The scientists excitedly shared some of the outrageous details from the event such as how one of the guests had to take out extra loans from a private Swiss bank.

Before Izaya could figure out what was going on, he was quickly ushered back to a large laboratory room. The two nurses didn’t bother to take off the nice garment while they put him back into the straitjacket, although they did remove the gold collar and handcuffs. He was to be shipped to his new master soon. The garment was part of his new master’s present, they said to each other. Izaya could hear them more and more clearly. He could feel the fog in his mind dissipating completely, allowing him to focus for the first time in days.

Since the nurses believed that the sedative was still effective, they had not strapped him down. He carefully got up and noticed that his footing was firmer too. He walked over to the door and tried to open it. Of course, it was still locked. Izaya took his time to search for a key in drawers he could open and found a bottle of suppressants. He pocketed the drug for later use. 

One of the walls with the mirror lit up. Izaya whirled around, worried that someone had seen him functioning once again. But then he recognized the same young scientist with glasses and brown hair from before. He smiled as he told Izaya over the microphone, “If you’re trying to escape, you can’t. So you should probably give up.”

Izaya turned around to face him fully and glared. “What are you guys trying to do? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why does everyone ask that stupid question the first time their mind clears up? Oh, I think you’re a fairly intelligent guy, mister I-got-into-an-university-with-a-full-scholarship.”

Izaya’s glare narrowed into a shrewd one.

“Oh yes, we’ve done a full background check on you. You’re rather impressive. For an omega.” And that elicited a darker look from Izaya so the scientist chuckled. “Come on, this isn’t the time to be angry at _me_ . Again let me remind you. Everything here is being recorded, so there is _no way_ you can escape.”

Izaya’s eyes flickered at the specific emphasis. That was the second reminder that Izaya couldn’t escape.

The bespectacled scientist smiled as he added, “I’ll reiterate, there is no escape for you. Behind each door is a guard and only that guard from that specific passageway knows the password to open the doors, so there is no escape for you.”

The scientist’s grin widened. “And each passageway has a security camera that is constantly being monitored, so there is no escape for you. And this lab is in a circular labyrinth that only the guards and scientists who work here know the way out, which is why there is no escape for you. And once you get out, all the safe houses are funded by Nebula, which is why there is no escape for you. And even the police will be notified since Nebula is a government facility.” Then the brown haired scientist leaned back slightly with his uncanny smirk and added yet again, “which is why there is no escape for you. Do you understand?”

Izaya continued to glare at him back but his mind was already ticking without the drug clouding his thoughts. This guy had just told him exactly how to get out of here. It was disguised as a warning but it was actually the opposite. It was quite clever. So he nodded and replied, “Yes. I understand there is no escape for me.”

The young omega’s heart pounded as the scientist happily clapped his hands. “Good! Very good. I’m glad we understand each other.”

As he was about to press the switch to turn off the microphone, Izaya quickly asked, “Wait, what’s your name?”

The scientist’s glasses glinted as it reflected the light but he replied with a smile, “I’m Kishitani Shinra. You can call me Shinra. It was nice meeting you, Orihara Izaya-kun.”

Then the scientist named Shinra turned off the microphone and the lights. Izaya’s heart was still racing. He expected something to happen then. Anything. Maybe this man would come and save him? Or perhaps…

Izaya checked the door. He frowned. It was still locked.

Right, he said everything was being recorded. So how was he going to be freed by this scientist? Maybe this was all a joke and the scientist was playing with him?

No, that couldn’t be. Why would this scientist specifically clear his mind and just toy with him, and of all times, right now when he could be shipped off, which was in fact, probably the perfect time for an escape.

Izaya then tried to walk around the wall, trying to see if there’s some sort of hidden wall or a ventilation he could escape to. While he was meticulously searching he heard an audible click as the door unlocked.

He quickly turned, filled with joy from the possibility of this scientist being on his side after all, only to be faced with someone else with a gas mask. This one had thinning hair and was slightly heavier. He was also breathing hard. Very hard. Izaya took a step back nervously eyeing the heavily breathing man.

“Ah, y-you’re awake. Of course, you’re awake. Haha… but look at you. You’re so beautiful…” He started to take off his mask and yes, this was not Shinra. “You’re just as delicious smelling. I couldn’t forget you, from last time.”

“L-last time?” Izaya inquired, taking another step back and bumping into the laboratory bed.

“Yes, last time. When you tried to escape. But now you’ll escape forever! We’re destined but fate is so cruel!” The creepy older man appeared in anguish and torment, which confused Izaya even more.

“Fated?” Izaya moved around the bed and took more steps backward as the man approached him in his heat. He started to recognize the man’s face, wasn’t he one of the scientists or a doctor that he knocked the mask off the first time he tried to escape? Maybe?

“Yes, fate! Soulmates! You were sold to some rich idiot but he won’t appreciate you like I will!”

Those were alarming words indeed. But this wasn’t the time to be worked up. The door was unlocked. He could make a mad dash for it but he couldn’t risk this man alerting security either.  

“Will you... help me escape?” Izaya asked cautiously. Maybe he could get this man to ‘run away’ with him and then escape?

“Of course, we’ll run away together!” The man grabbed him, pushing Izaya against the wall and started running his hand up and down Izaya’s sides. “No-no I can’t. I can’t, but I must… I need to fuck you once! If I can’t have you then, yes, if I can just…. Nnngh…. Make you mine first!” The man lunged for Izaya’s neck but the omega pushed back against the man’s forehead aggressively,  keeping him away the best he could.

“S-stop! Fucking _stop_!” Izaya yelled in desperation and to his shock, the panting man actually pulled himself off. He was clutching his crotch as if he was about to burst and he was drooling with his eyes dilated from what looked like an overdose of hormones but he listened and stopped.

Izaya stared in wonder and awe. The man obeyed him. Like one would obey a command. _No way… right?_

The man was babbling again. “I must have you. Let me have you! I need to fuck you! I _need to_ fuck you!”

“No. G-go _sedate yourself!_ ” Izaya yelled, not sure what else to say but even more shockingly, the man rushed to the table with medication and grabbed a needle. He filled it with one of the vials. Then he injected himself.

Izaya watched as the man dropped to the floor.

_No way. No way, no way, no way!_

Izaya’s jaw dropped. It worked just like an alpha’s command.

But he didn’t have the time to stare in awe. The door was unlocked so he ran for it. He looked around the hallway and there was no one. He started down one path. Shinra had said only the guards and the scientists who worked here knew the way out. It was time to test two theories at once and he hoped he was right on both.

Izaya used the exact method Shinra had told him. Once he approached the first guard, he told him to stop. And because the guard wasn’t wearing a gas mask, he listened, not firing the tranquilizer gun. He commanded the guard to break the security camera and the recorded tape and he watched as the guard did as he was told. Then he told him to open the door, which he did. After that, Izaya asked where he should go next. Once that was done, Izaya ordered the guard to go to a room and lock himself inside and stay there. To his shock, the guard followed his order to a tee.

He truly did have some sort of command ability even though he was an omega. This was an incredible discovery, no wonder the scientists and the doctors went crazy with their research! Not to mention all the guards here had to be strong alphas and betas… The fact that his ‘command’ worked meant...

Actually, Izaya had no idea what it meant, just that it worked and he was going to use it to get out of here! He briskly walked down the next hallway and told the next guard to stop, break the camera, open the door and go lock himself into a closet, rinse and repeat. After the fourth one, Izaya noticed an oncoming headache. After the seventh one, the headache grew so intense that his walk became unsteady. His hands became shaky and sweaty. But he couldn’t rest. He needed to get out. He needed to get out and find Kadota! He couldn’t go to a safe house or the police. Only Kadota could keep him safe.

With only that in mind, Izaya finally stepped out into the chilly city night air with the alarms blazing behind him once they figured out he was missing.

He had no time to waste. He ran as fast as he could, down the dirtiest and darkest alleys he could find, just trying to get as far away as possible.

Until he rounded a corner and slammed into someone.

* * *

 

With a heavy thud, the towering figure collapses against the closed apartment door and buries his face into Izaya’s shoulder, clutching him tightly like a security blanket. He takes long, deep breaths while he tunes out the frantic echos. The noise is faint enough to be ignored now, although the sounds continue to overlap creating a mess of incomprehensible whispers.

Ten seconds in, ten seconds out.

Ten seconds in, ten seconds out.

Ten seconds in, ten seconds out.

Shizuo slides down the door, dropping to the floor. Brick dust from the gallery wall he broke through rains down onto the floor as a few pieces fall out of his hair from Izaya’s petting. He focuses on nothing but his own breathing and the soft melody that Izaya’s singing in his ear for the fifth time that Shizuo can remember. But Izaya’s probably gone through the song more times than that.

“Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high. There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby…”

Shizuo’s breathing hiccups softly. That’s right, he wants to leave. Go somewhere else. Maybe Izaya does too, now.

He stays on the floor, rocking a bit to the tune until Izaya finishes the song just one more time. Shizuo’s little songbird… although they’ve lost his cage now.

When Izaya’s finished with that run-through of the song, Shizuo gets up to head to the kitchen, still refusing to put Izaya down, to boil a big pot of water. Izaya definitely needs a bath, reeking of that horrible place and the alpha he was leaning for support. Shizuo doesn’t really feel like talking yet as he just stands there, staring into the pot of water over Izaya’s shoulder while he waits for it to boil.

“...Umm… Shizu-chan, are you feeling better?” Izaya asks with a voice full of concern as his hand caresses Shizuo’s cheek. He doesn’t ask to be let down, to Shizuo’s relief.

“Yeah, I’m better…” He replies, his own voice much fainter than he intended. “Just tired. How about you?”

“Better with you with me.” Izaya leans forward to snuggle and rub his nose against Shizuo’s chin gently while batting his long eyelashes prettily to give Shizuo’s jaw butterfly kisses.

“Did anyone do anything to you?” Shizuo can see Izaya isn’t marked, at least, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened.

“No. They… _you_ came in time.” Izaya says sweetly.

“... I’m sorry if I was being scary. I was just… _scared_ … I thought… I was going to be too late and you’d be gone forever.”

“I was scared too… but not scared of you.” Izaya rubs himself against Shizuo again. “I’m never scared of you. I was relieved to see you. I’m scared… when I’m not with you.” Then he pauses a bit before he lifts up his wide doe eyes. “And now, I’m scared… you’ll go to work and they’ll come back for me again.”

“I’m not gonna let that happen.” Shizuo resolves. “We’re never, ever going to be separated again.” He nods to himself in affirmation, more certain than ever leaving the city is the right choice from Izaya’s words. He’s not going back to work. They can’t stay here anymore.

Once the water is at a rolling boil Shizuo turns off the stove. He tosses a couple of green tea bags into the pot and walks into the bathroom to fill the tub with the cold water from the tap. He sits Izaya on the sink and turns to go back into the kitchen, reluctant to let go, but it would be too dangerous to carry Izaya and the boiling water at the same time.

He returns to the bathroom and Izaya is just where Shizuo left him. Shizuo adds the heavy pot of hot green tea to the bath to make it as warm and healing for Izaya as possible.

Then he turns back to Izaya, who’s still only wearing one of Shizuo’s shirts and the collar they bought together weeks ago. He tugs on the collar gently and pulls out the key that’s been hanging around his own neck to unlock it so Izaya can have a through bath without damaging the leather.

“Can I please take care of you?” Shizuo asks softly, almost timidly.

“I-in which way… do you mean?” Izaya asks. “You mean, washing me?”

Shizuo nods and places the collar on the sink but returns the key necklace to his own neck, letting it dangle out of his shirt openly for once.

Izaya looks at him nervously before swallowing and nods shyly. With that permission, Shizuo pulls the oversized shirt off of Izaya. His omega’s skin burns his fingertips but Shizuo can ignore it well enough since it’s not that bad. As long as Izaya has his head together, Shizuo can have his own head together… in some ways.

Just as Izaya said, he appears completely unharmed. But fear and insecurity are rarely visible. Even though Shizuo’s here now, their home has been thoroughly and completely violated and Izaya must feel it too. Perhaps even worse than Shizuo.

Once Izaya’s bare, Shizuo pulls off his own bartender vest and folds it off to the side neatly. Then he rolls up his sleeves and lifts Izaya up again to place him into the water.

“How is it?” Shizuo frets. “Is it warm enough?” He knows it’s not too hot from touching it himself but maybe Izaya wants more warm water.

“Yeah,” Izaya nods. “It’s warm enough. Rather, it’s slightly cool enough that it’s comfortable… I feel… so hot.”

Shizuo nods and strokes Izaya’s hair comfortingly. “I’m sorry…” he says softly. He wasn’t there for the start of Izaya’s heat _again_ it seems.

He grabs his own soap to start gently washing Izaya’s body.

“It… it will go away soon. I don’t think this is my real heat but the drug… so it should wear off in a few hours.”

“Ah, that’s good…” Shizuo feels slightly more relieved as he rubs Izaya’s back. Normally he can smell an artificial heat but Izaya is just riddled with so many smells, including the smells of other omegas in artificial heat. But it could explain why Shizuo is feeling less affected, he had thought he had put too much energy into panicking but the heat being fake makes a bit more sense. “I mean, it’s not good that you got drugged. I just mean that it’s good you didn’t have to really go into heat in such a scary place.”

“...The drug sort of has the same effect, it just wears off… unless I’m given another dose, I think. And they were planning to…”

Shizuo immediately pulls his hands off of Izaya to make sure he doesn’t hurt his omega as he clenches and unclenches his fists.

Ten seconds in, ten seconds out.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I guess I just really don’t know what… any of that could possibly be like.”

“Shizu-chan is strangely very innocent. What kind of drug did you think they gave me?” Izaya giggles a bit.

“No, I mean I didn’t know that a fake heat would feel the same as a real heat to you. To me, they smell and feel different, so I just assumed it would be different for you. But I shouldn’t have assumed. I’m sorry.”

“Oooh. I didn’t even know that…” Izaya becomes quiet as if in thought. “I didn’t even realize it smells different…” Then he turns to Shizuo to flash a sweet smile. “Guess we both didn’t know something?”

“Yeah,” he grunts and clenches his fist one more time before grabbing the shampoo to massage it into Izaya’s scalp. Izaya leans into Shizuo’s hands like a cat as he lays his chin on the edge of the tub.

Shizuo takes his time cleaning Izaya thoroughly and massaging him, he could never get bored of it. He calms down completely as he pets Izaya and watches the water run over his beautiful skin. He’d be happy to sit here all night if the water wasn’t getting cold. But he can’t let Izaya get sick, so he pulls the trembling omega from the tub and wraps him in a towel, pointedly not looking at his half-hard cock for once.

He lets the tub drain and carries Izaya back into the room to dress him in another shirt, the softest sweater Shizuo owns, before tucking Izaya into bed. Rather than getting in bed with Izaya, Shizuo sits on the floor and justs rests his head on the mattress next to Izaya like a dog.

“Can I get you anything? A drink? Some food?” Izaya must be so drained… Shizuo feels horrible for being away and letting this happen.

“Haha…no. None of that will help me right now… and the thing I want, I don’t think you can give me.

Shizuo’s face falls even further into despair. Izaya must think Shizuo is the worst alpha in the world if there’s something he needs that Shizuo can’t provide for him. It’s even more terrible because Izaya’s probably right. There are so many ways he’s fallen short as an alpha already. He’s failed to give Izaya safety, made him suffer through a neglect-induced heat from being gone all the time, can’t buy him anything nice…

“Well, what I meant was… since I don’t know what drug I was given, the only antidote I can have right now is a blow job.” Izaya giggles a bit and then sighs dejectedly. “But you wouldn’t give me that, would you?”

Shizuo’s train of self-deprecating thought crashes and it takes him a full five seconds of silence to realize what Izaya just said to him.

“...Oh. No, I can do that.” Shizuo can definitely give Izaya a blowjob. In fact, Shizuo can give Izaya _too_ good of a blowjob, or did Izaya forget that?

“...C-can you? Please?” Izaya asks in the quietest whimper. “I really want one. A-actually, I might… just really _need_ one.”

Shizuo’s cheeks flush from how cute Izaya is being right now. Circumstances be damned, Izaya hasn’t been this cute since Shizuo brought home Aoba.

He swallows hard, already drooling at the idea like it’s a Pavlovian response, and nods.

Izaya carefully sits up, with the blanket still over his head and shoulders like a nun’s veil, and opens his legs shyly so Shizuo can see his erection, Shizuo’s large sweater just falling right around his cute hips. The view is incredible.

Shizuo remains on the floor, completely disinterested in moving anywhere from this spot for the first time in years, and turns his head just enough to press an adoring kiss to the inside of Izaya’s knee while his eyes remain fixed on the sight above him.

“ _Haaah_ … S… Shizu-chan…” Izaya’s shivers at the slightest kiss. “I need you so bad right now…”

Shizuo presses another kiss just above the first. He kisses his way up Izaya’s inner thigh very slowly until he’s finally able to nuzzle into Izaya’s crotch and kiss the base of his cock.

“ _Hnnngh…_ ” Izaya groans as he leans back a bit and his legs wrap around Shizuo’s neck to pull him closer. “K-keep going.”

Shizuo moans at the feeling of Izaya pulling him closer. He gives the base another kiss before turning his head to suck on Izaya’s balls, keeping his palms pressed to the floor.

“ _Haaah… yes…. Aaah…_ ” Izaya’s fingers clutch the bedsheet under him and twists. He lifts his legs a bit, trying to give Shizuo a better angle.

Shizuo sucks harder, rolling them with his tongue before letting them drop from his mouth to give them a wet kiss too. Then he licks up the underside, long and slow. If bathing Izaya calmed Shizuo, this practically sedates him.

“S… Shizuo… m-more…” Izaya begs for him, his toes curling on top of Shizuo’s back. “I need… _more_.” His expression is titillating, already near the edge wishing to topple over.

Shizuo is tempted to eat Izaya out, but Izaya did ask for a blowjob so that’s what Shizuo will do. He’d hate to fail Izaya in something he’s actually good at.

Shizuo kisses the tip next before sucking it into his mouth. He just sucks on the tip, for now, swirling his tongue and pressing it into the slit. He’s already feeling needy for Izaya’s cum. His efforts are rewarded by a squirt of precum on his tongue which Shizuo eagerly licks up.

He drops the tip just long enough to give it another kiss while he looks up Izaya for approval. Izaya’s eyes are dilated and his face flushed, lips parted as if waiting for a kiss.

“S-suck me off, Shizu-chan. All of me.”

A heated moan falls out of Shizuo’s lips as he suddenly becomes dizzy with arousal. He doesn’t need to be told twice before he’s replacing the lost breath with Izaya’s cock, obediently swallowing Izaya’s arousal whole.

“ _Nnnngh_ !! Y-yes... _Aaah…_!” Izaya wraps his legs around Shizuo’s head, shuddering hard as struggles not to come immediately. “S-suck me harder...f-faster…”

Shizuo moans and desperately sucks even harder and he’s only spurred on further as Izaya starts thrusting his hips into Shizuo’s face. Shizuo’s own hips thrust up into nothing in response as he’s painfully hard in his slacks. He finally lifts one hand from the floor to press it into his own drooling bulge.

“ _Yes, yes! Aaah! Aaah!_ It’s so good!  I’m coming…! I’m gonna…! _S-Shizuo_ …!”

Shizuo greedily sucks Izaya all the way to the base and keeps him there, swallowing around him obviously ready for Izaya to come down his throat.

Izaya shudders and convulses as he comes hard and hot, moaning Shizuo’s name over and over.

Shizuo’s eyes flutter, moaning as he gratefully accepts his reward. He swallows every drop before pulling back to lick Izaya’s shaft gently while rubbing his own straining erection over his pants.

Izaya falls back, flopping on the bed, exhausted and panting hard. Both their scents are heavy in the air, especially Izaya’s discharge from his rectum that had drenched a wet spot the mattress. The angle gives Shizuo a really good view of Izaya’s soaked and twitching asshole.

“Nnngh… Shizu-chan… t-that was really good.”

Shizuo whimpers happily at the praise and keeps licking. Slowly, he lifts his other hand off the floor to undo his belt so he can free his swollen cock. Hopefully, Izaya won’t say he can’t…

“Can I eat you out now?” Shizuo mumbles into Izaya’s pubic hair. “Please? Please…”

“?? Eat?” Izaya asks, tiredly, not comprehending the question.

“It’s when I lick... Here.” Shizuo replies delicately he nuzzles just under Izaya’s balls to press his lips just next to Izaya’s twitching ass. He immediately gets a reaction.

“O-oh!” Izaya flushes prettily. “Y-yes please… it itches a lot right now. I… I need someone to clean it.”

Shizuo licks Izaya’s inner thighs and around his entrance first to thoroughly clean him, just like Izaya asked for. Shizuo is so excited he actually does drool onto Izaya a little bit and has to lick that up too.

Izaya moans appreciatively as he feels the tongue. Eventually, Izaya’s cock starts to grow hard again.

“S-Shizu-chan… I… I need to come again.”

Shizuo gives his own cock a placating squeeze as he finally licks over Izaya’s entrance. He’s never gotten to do this with Izaya before and suddenly feels like the luckiest alpha in the world even after such a horrific day.  

He starts off slow here too, with just licking and kisses, savoring the taste as he pumps his own cock. He’s being just a little selfish, wanting to wait until he gets to hear Izaya either ask for it or tell him what to do again before going further.

“S… Shizu-chan, hurry… what are you waiting for?” Izaya whimpers a bit when Shizuo only kisses and licks. “Am I not good enough?”

Shizuo whines and shakes his head violently to reject the idea before plunging his tongue inside, immediately sorry for teasing and being so mean by making Izaya wait.

Izaya moans, clearly loving it. “Nnngh… t-there… m-more… please… I want so much more…”

Shizuo’s hand on himself unconsciously speeds up as thick globs of precum leak from the tip, creating a lewd sound. He sucks on the rim, fucking Izaya with his tongue.

“My cock too… please… they both… need you…” Izaya spreads his legs and his erection grows. “Finger me.” Shizuo loves the way Izaya’s being demanding.

Shizuo whimpers and lets go of his own cock to grab Izaya’s instead to stroke him, the precum from Shizuo’s cock acting as lube. Then he uses his other hand to press a finger into Izaya alongside his tongue, weak to any demand Izaya could possibly make right now. He curls his finger in deeply, searching for that special spot his tongue can’t reach no matter how hard he tries.

“ _Nnngh…._ ” Izaya’s legs squeeze around Shizuo’s head. He hadn’t ever been so demanding for sexual favors. Shizuo wishes he could see into Izaya’s mind. “God that feels so g-! Aaah!!” Izaya suddenly jerks as Shizuo presses against his prostate. “Oh god…! Aaah…!” Izaya hugs his pillow and moans loudly into it. However, he doesn’t come immediately, able to hold on.

Shizuo pumps Izaya’s cock faster while his own twitches desperately for attention only to be ignored because Shizuo _needs_ both hands to pleasure Izaya as much as possible. He presses a second finger into Izaya and starts thrusting them together, aiming for that spot again.

“Aaah! Aaah! Yes…! Aaah! Aaah!” After several minutes, Izaya starts to writhe in ecstasy. “C-coming. I’m going to…!” And within seconds, Izaya comes into Shizuo’s fingers, several squirts landing on his own stomach and even in Shizuo’s hair. Shizuo relishes in the feeling of Izaya’s ass clenching around his fingers and tongue. He continues to thrust his fingers to help Izaya ride out his orgasm while he lifts his head to lick the cum off Izaya’s stomach and between his fingers, not caring that some of it is his own. Izaya’s fingers tangle into Shizuo’s hair as he continues to ravish the omega’s sensitive ass with his fingers.

“Oh god! Aaah! Aaah! S… Shizu…! I… Nnnnng….!” Izaya starts to fall apart with each thrust, unable to take in the overwhelming passion. He is a drooling mess, covered in his own cum, his earlier cleanliness all ruined. “Shi… Shizuo! Shizuo…! Oh god… Shizuo…!” He moans but doesn’t tell him to stop, just enduring the onslaught of sensation that Shizuo’s delivering to him.

Shizuo wraps his lips around the tip of Izaya’s cock to suck while his hand pumps the shaft, hoping to milk out another treat while his fingers continue their assault on Izaya’s prostate.

“ _Hnnnnngh…_!!!” And Izaya shudders violently as he squeezes out a few drops of cum. “S… Shizuo… I can’t… I can’t, no more…!” Finally, Izaya begs for mercy.

Shizuo’s fingers reluctantly still with a whine but he continues to lick Izaya’s cock gently as Izaya groans and his cock twitches, still needy and hard.

“S-Shizuo... Th… that was so good…” Izaya purrs as he lifts up his sweater as if feeling suddenly very hot, to reveal his perky pink nipples.

Shizuo’s eyes flick up to the erotic sight and he moans. He carefully eases his fingers out of Izaya’s ass to wrap them around his own cock again. He shudders and squirts more precum just at the feeling of Izaya’s discharge on his cock.

“I don’t know what to do… even after all this… my body won’t calm down.” Izaya shivers softly. “Maybe I need… a stronger antidote?” Izaya looks down at Shizuo with his irresistible wide doe eyes again. Didn’t Shizuo tell Izaya he didn’t always have to pull out the eyes for every little thing?

Shizuo continues to suckle on Izaya’s cock. He knows Izaya’s dropping a hint but he can’t figure out what it’s for. So, he stays were he is, sucking on Izaya and stroking himself while he waits for more hints.

“Do you have any ideas?” Izaya whimpers a bit. “I really want relief, Shizu-chan.”

“...Do you remember what we did under the blanket when Aoba was in the bathroom?” Shizuo says with his lips still on Izaya’s cock after giving it some thought since ‘let me mate you’ probably isn’t an option yet.

“...Yes.” Izaya nods with a flush. Then he carefully pulls himself up to bed and flips over, lifting his ass up for a proper mount. Shizuo quickly licks his hand clean of Izaya’s discharge before finally climbing up onto the bed and getting on top of him, sniffing at Izaya’s hair and neck unconsciously.  

Izaya hugs the pillow and whimpers as he feels Shizuo’s breath on him. He isn’t wearing his collar. His pale unmarked neck is exposed, catching Shizuo’s eye. He’s drawn to the space like an artist to a blank canvas and licks over the exact spot where he’s been dreaming about his mark being. He gives the precious spot a loving kiss as he slides his dripping cock between Izaya’s soaked thighs. They won’t be needing lube, not with how wet they both are.

“Nnngh…” Izaya moans into the pillow as he feels the first slide of the cock between his thighs.

Shizuo presses Izaya’s thighs together tighter and grinds his cock up against Izaya’s before he starts thrusting slowly. He’s so turned on he won’t be able to last that long before he knots Izaya’s thighs. With every long drag of skin against skin Shizuo huffs into Izaya’s ear and down his neck. The whimpers of his tiny omega drawing an involuntary growl from deep in Shizuo’s chest.

“ _Aaahn… aaah… Hnnn…_ ” Izaya’s legs and hips shake with each of Shizuo’s thrust, his fingers clutching on the pillow he’s drooling on. His cock is still rock hard and twitches each time Shizuo’s cock rubs against it. “S… Shizuo…”

Shizuo supports Izaya’s hips with one arm to keep him up for the increasingly rough thrusts and reaches around with his other hand to wrap his fingers around Izaya’s cock tightly to try and draw another orgasm out of him.

“ _H-haaah_ … S… Shizu… _aaah…_ ” Izaya moans, grateful at the hand wrap around his cock. “Y-yes, _there… nnngh_ …”

His own cock is already starting to swell, his growing knot catching on Izaya’s thighs before being yanked through by Shizuo’s hips. Distantly, Shizuo thinks to himself that for their first time, he’ll be gentle for sure. It’ll be sweet and Izaya will feel so loved that he’ll even say he loves Shizuo back and it’ll be perfect.

Just… not now. This isn’t their first time.

With each thrust, the shirt rides down, revealing Izaya’s perky nipples roughly being brushed against the bedsheet under him, tempting him for a squeeze. Unable to resist, Shizuo lets go of Izaya’s cock to grope his chest, imagining how sweet it’ll be when it becomes swollen from constant stimulation and filled with milk for their future children.

“Aaah!” Izaya moans, his ass and thighs tightening up. Izaya must be getting close again so Shizuo pinches his nipple and twists it.

“Do you like being touched like this?” Shizuo asks. Omegas are supposed to have sensitive chests but Izaya’s proven himself to be special in many regards.

“I… I don’t… mind it…” Izaya whimpers a bit shyly, his blush glowing to the tips of his ears. Shizuo kisses Izaya’s ears just to show him how cute Shizuo finds him. Izaya must really like it, so Shizuo gives the omega what he surely wants and gives his other nipple the same treatment.

“Aaahh!” Izaya jerks again and then buries his face into the pillow to whimper.

“I’m close…” Shizuo groans low in Izaya’s ear between kisses. “I’m gonna knot you… you want that?” Of course, Shizuo isn’t going to _really_ be knotting Izaya, just his thighs, but it’s close.

“Y-yes…” Izaya mews softly. “B-but just my thighs…”

“I know, I know…” Shizuo mumbles. There’s no way he’d just shove his dick in Izaya right now with barely any prep or romance. He’s not crazy.

He grabs Izaya’s cock again to jerk him off in time with Shizuo’s thrusts, managing to bring Izaya over that edge with him. Soon, his growing knot finally bursts, sending a growling Shizuo into waves of intense orgasm as Izaya collapses beneath him into whimpers. Shizuo just manages to turn his face away from Izaya’s neck in time to bite his pillow rather than Izaya’s bared throat. Izaya’s hips are only held up by Shizuo’s strong grip on them, forcing Izaya to stay in place while Shizuo’s cum pours out.

Izaya pants roughly as he moans, exhausted and covered in sweat and cum. His cock is finally getting smaller in Shizuo’s hand so he lets go of it. But Shizuo’s own cock is still hard and his knot is still big as it tries uselessly to impregnate this omega again.

He wraps both his arms around Izaya’s waist to hug him close before tipping them both to the side so they can lay down and cuddle until Shizuo’s cock finally stops coming and his knot goes down. Even then, Shizuo’s not convinced he wants to move just yet as he licks the sweat off Izaya’s still unmarked neck.

“I… I can’t… move…” Izaya groans. His strong delicious scent that he’s in heat has dissipated a lot, to Shizuo’s disappointment.

“You don’t need to move,” Shizuo says simply. Why would Izaya be trying to move anyway?

“But… I need to shower…”

Shizuo shushes Izaya and promises him “Later… I’m not done yet…” Because his knot lasts a long time.

Izaya whimpers but stays there, covered in both their cum all the way from his face, down his slender neck to his cute pink nipples, his supple stomach and of course, his adorable ass and swollen thighs.

“Do you feel better yet?” Shizuo asks, referring to the drug.

“ _Nnngh…._ Yeah. More than anything, I want… to nap.”

“I want a kiss,” Shizuo says softly, stroking Izaya’s hair soothingly to try and help him sleep. He feels as though he ‘deserves’ a kiss today.

“....” There’s a small pause before Izaya turns and only kisses Shizuo on the chin where his lips can reach him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love all our readers and reviewers! Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support!
> 
> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to Sollertis for betaing!

 

Izaya moans as he feels something heavy on top of his chest. He isn’t used to this stuffy feeling so he tries to roll away except a strong grip tightens to keep him still. 

He blinks his eyes open to notice the large arm keeping him close. Turning his head, he is faced with the handsome blond that’s been his captor for the past month. 

It feels like it’s been longer than that, but no, it’s just been about a month, almost one heat cycle. 

The fact that his real heat is approaching doesn’t settle Izaya’s insecurities or nervousness, especially after last night.

Last night, Izaya knew he should give Shizuo some  _ reward _ for saving him as a token of appreciation. If anything, he knew he needed to calm the beast before he hunted down and killed his friend Kadota amongst a few others. He had reason to believe that Shizuo would be rather possessive and might grow hostile if confronted with a possible rival for Izaya’s affection or status as a potential mate and that growl he gave Kadota and whatever-his-name-is…   

However, instead of just taking Izaya’s gracious offer to allow Shizuo to actually touch him, the greedy bastard wanted more and more and even asked for a kiss! How could he not be satisfied after half fucking Izaya for hours and covering him with his cum?!

Just thinking about it made Izaya sizzle with rage. It was a lot more than he bargained for! Once he gave Shizuo a little freedom the guy kept taking more than Izaya ever intended on offering. It made the little omega more and more bitter as he thought about it.

Well, it wasn’t completely bad. Towards the middle, it started to feel sort of good, but that wasn’t the issue. Whether he enjoyed it or not, Izaya still feels more peeved about the fact that Shizuo took advantage of his kindness. Besides, the embarrassment of being sensually touched and the fact that it felt dirty to be covered in cum made him feel too sick to care that it felt good at all. 

Izaya sighs, unsure of how to dissect and compartmentalize his feelings and sort through the swirls of conflicting emotions he feels towards the alpha. Many omegas would probably tell Izaya that he’s complaining on a full stomach. Anyone would gladly take his place. Meeting Aoba was proof enough of that. Shizuo’s a hot alpha, gentle and caring and of the highest rank. He has a few vices but none of which would  _ seriously _ harm Izaya. At least, not physically so far. And the fact that Shizuo clearly looked upset that he wasn’t providing enough for his omega makes him an ideal alpha for the most oppressed one-third of the world. 

Still, if Izaya had a choice…

He looks back at Shizuo’s sleeping face. He’s handsome and Izaya doesn’t mind his personality, but if Izaya had a choice, he probably would rather be with Kadota. With Kadota, they would just be mates legally on paper and nothing more. If Izaya didn’t want it, Kadota wouldn’t ever touch him. If Izaya wanted his own property or to run his own business, or walk around acting as a beta in public, Kadota wouldn’t even question him. Izaya would have complete control and freedom. That is worth more to him than having a doting mate. For him, the best mate is no mate. If he must have one, Izaya would prefer to have a mate that would let him do whatever he wanted, just like how his parents raised him with total freedom.

Perhaps Izaya is too spoiled for an omega, but hell, everyone thought he was going to be a beta, including himself! 

Izaya turns over to look over at the nightstand next to him where Shizuo is charging his cell phone. Last night while drifting in and out of sleep as Shizuo cleaned both of them, he remembers that the alpha was on the phone again with that Kasuka person. But Izaya can’t remember what Shizuo was saying to Kasuka.

He continues to stare at the phone intensely as his curiosity grows. He wants to know what they were talking about, especially since they always seem to talk about him. He is curious why he can never hear the voice of this guy and what his relation to Shizuo is. He should have checked the phone back when Shizuo had fainted after drinking that drugged water but Izaya had other things in mind at the time.

He reaches out for the phone but Shizuo pulls him back with a grunt. Izaya quickly looks over to make sure Shizuo is still asleep. Since the alpha has a hand over his heart, Izaya is surprised the pounding in his chest hasn’t woken him. He takes a slow, deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He isn’t sure why he would be nervous about taking a sneak peek at Shizuo’s phone. What harm could it be? It’s not like Izaya would care if this Kasuka person was Shizuo’s ex-lover or if Shizuo’s actually cheating on him. If he is, good, it’ll be leverage to use against him. If this Kasuka person is just a friend then, oh well, it’s not like Shizuo could have told him anything that’s any more embarrassing than lewdly touching Izaya every day. If this Kasuka person is a family member, again, there isn’t going to be any explicit photos or texts being exchanged so there really shouldn’t be anything harmful in Izaya taking a quick peek. 

However, there are still warning bells ringing in Izaya’s head. Some deep corner of his mind is telling him not to look even though all his logic tells him otherwise. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back… right?

Slowly, Izaya carefully inches away from Shizuo to pull himself closer to the edge of the bed and reaches out to take the cellphone. Every movement is deliberately gradual and Izaya takes his time with measured movements before he grabs the phone. His heart feels like it could burst out of his chest with how fast it’s pounding, even as he keeps telling himself it’s illogical to be so anxious. He’s not doing anything wrong. Shizuo might get angry about privacy violation but with a few sweet words and promises of kisses and rewards, Izaya is sure he could make Shizuo forget all about it. 

With that in mind, Izaya turns on the phone. He hides the bright light the best he can with his body as he quickly lowers the brightness. He then discreetly checks the contact list. 

...Strange. He sees the phone number for the bar where Shizuo works at. He sees the name ‘Manager,’ which clearly is the bar’s manager that Shizuo works with. Someone named ‘That idiot’ and another person named ‘Celty.’ But that is it. 

Izaya frowns. He doesn’t think the ‘Manager’ would be Kasuka. When Shizuo talks to Kasuka, he has this gentle smile on, almost melancholic. He wouldn’t name him ‘That idiot’ on his cell phone either, would he? 

He then flips over to the recent calls. He sees that the most recent call that was made to the ‘Manager’ a few days ago that only lasted 32 seconds. 

A few days ago. 

Izaya stares at the timestamp. That date is the day Izaya had called in sick for Shizuo when Aoba was still with them. But after that, Shizuo had called Kasuka at least twice!

His fingers trembling, Izaya quickly swipes over to see if he can read the text messages-

“If you wanted to borrow my phone you should have asked.”

Izaya jumps at Shizuo’s deep voice rumbling in his ear. He turns to face Shizuo who looks groggy from sleep but has a deeper frown than usual.

Shizuo snatches the phone away. “Who were you trying to call?”

_ Oh shit. _

He knows he can’t hide the shock in his face so he has to play with it. Pretending to smile will not work, Shizuo isn’t that dumb.

“I wanted to know who Kasuka was. I’m sorry, you’re right, I should have asked.” Izaya goes for the truth, except for a small twist. He lowers his eyes a bit and adds, “But the way you smile when you talk to him… I wondered if you might be cheating on me.”

“What?” Shizuo’s tight frown breaks open immediately into shock. “I would never cheat on you! How could you think that?”

Oh good, Shizuo totally bought that lie. Izaya fidgets a bit. “Well, you smile more gently when you’re talking to him than when you’re talking to me for one thing…” Well, that is kinda true, although Shizuo definitely gives him a more open and happy smile. 

“He’s my younger brother,” Shizuo says defensively, clearly very upset by the possibility that his faithfulness to Izaya could be in doubt. That’s interesting. At the very least, it seems to bother him more than the fact that Izaya was going through his phone. Good, Izaya decides that this was the right approach after all. 

“A younger brother, huh…?” That’s a genuine reaction from Izaya. He did wonder if it was a family member so he wasn’t too far off. “He can’t come to visit?” Izaya knows he needs to get the topic far away from the fact that he had just breached Shizuo’s privacy.

“He’s been away for a while.” Shizuo turns away to place the phone on the opposite side of the bed and doesn’t turn back around to face Izaya again. Which is weird because Shizuo always clings to Izaya.

“...” Izaya stares at Shizuo’s back a bit. He considers if he should leave Shizuo alone and give him space, he did finally get away from the topic of Izaya stealing the phone and taking a peek, and yet it doesn’t feel right for Izaya. Letting it go feels like it might have a more negative impact right now. 

“So… why did you never tell me about… your brother?” Izaya isn’t sure if he should go there but decides to ask anyway. Shizuo doesn’t know how much he saw… hopefully. Shizuo clearly has a good relationship with Kasuka whom he seems to talk to on the phone. Izaya truly hopes that it’s just Shizuo deleting the calls somehow instead of… okay, Izaya doesn’t want to even think of the other creepy possibilities right now. Remembering what he saw, or didn’t see, already gave him chills.

Shizuo doesn’t answer right away and appears to be trying fruitlessly to smooth out the wrinkles in the sheets. “... I don’t really like to talk about my brother. I’m sorry I was hiding him from you, it’s just… I miss him. So it’s hard to talk about him.”

Okay… that was not creepy at all, nope. Izaya is so glad that Shizuo’s back is turned on him right now since he won’t be able to see that cringe look which Izaya can’t hide at the moment.

Izaya is already thinking all sorts of the worst case scenarios, like, did they have a big fight and Shizuo wishes it would just blow over. Or maybe Kasuka works as a spy or some secret service for the government, or maybe having a brother being a legendary S-rank ripped the family apart. Actually the last part would be plausible if Shizuo was a wanted man and his younger brother had to find him due to his civic duty and his responsibility with his line of duty. But that sounds just a little too much like the plot of a movie.

_ Okay, let’s go with the less creepy idea. _ Izaya is okay with that. Still, keeping the option open is the best, but expect the worst.

Oh man, Izaya hopes it’s not the worst. 

“Well, I’m sorry I looked at your phone. I won’t do it again.” And Izaya means that sincerely. Well, maybe sincerely. If he must, he’ll still check the phone while Shizuo’s away or something. But for now, Izaya gives Shizuo a small hug from behind to make peace.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I made you worry… I can’t even imagine how terrible it would be to have your future mate be more interested in someone else.” Shizuo appears to shudder at the thought before rolling back over to face Izaya again.

_ Oh man, Shizuo really bought my story, thank god _ , Izaya thinks to himself. He cuddles closer, more for the effect rather than his own desire for it. He is about to say something when Shizuo raises his hand into Izaya’s hair, stroking it gently before cradling Izaya’s face, making the omega pause.

“But it’s alright. I could never want anyone else. And I know you would never cheat on me.”

_ Uh, oh…  _ Izaya thinks. Well, it’s not likely that Izaya would ever cheat since there’s no one for him to cheat with. In fact, if everyone just left him alone, Izaya would be the happiest. Although there is an alpha Izaya would choose over Shizuo... Anyways, it’s definitely time to change the subject.

“I know. Now that’s out of the way, I think it’s time for breakfast. I’m getting hungry.” Izaya sits up a bit so he can move away from Shizuo’s physical touches.

Shizuo nods and follows suit. “Alright, but after breakfast, I’m going out to… run some errands. Have to return our books and all.”

_ Shizuo is such a bad liar,  _ Izaya thinks to himself. The way Shizuo doesn’t look at Izaya like a guilty dog and the way his knee bounces are clear tells. There’s more to it than that for certain. Still, Izaya smiles and nods like a good omega and says, “okay. Also, do remember to go to the grocery store. I think we’re low on milk.”

Izaya gets up, glad that he’s away from Shizuo’s touch for once to put on the apron and goes into the kitchen.  He makes a simple meal of curry, throwing in the rest of the vegetables and meat since Shizuo can go grocery shopping for food for the rest of the week. He did mention that he took the week off to stay with Izaya during his heat period. Izaya isn’t sure what’s more nerve-wracking, being in the same room with this alpha for a week during his heat, or the possibility that whoever Shizuo is talking with, this Kasuka person, is like someone out of a dramatic action movie, imaginary, or dead. Izaya  _ really _ hopes that Shizuo is just deleting his chat logs. 

When Izaya sits next to Shizuo with the food, the alpha tries to feed Izaya first. Izaya had forgotten that was a thing that Shizuo liked doing so he goes ahead and lets Shizuo feed him to keep him happy. And Shizuo certainly looked immensely pleased. Izaya hopes that by now, Shizuo has pushed the morning events away from of his mind. 

Izaya gives Shizuo a small peck on his cheek and tries to send him off with a pleasant smile. But Shizuo doesn’t actually leave until he’s satisfied himself with nuzzling into Izaya’s hair and rubbing his alpha scent all over him. It’s probably because Izaya’s so close to his heat.

Now that he has the house to himself, he does all the little domestic chores first. He washes all the plates, cleans the floors and makes the bed, like a good housewife. He sighs at the idea that he will be stuck chained to this bed or inside a cage for a week. It won’t be fun at all, especially without any suppressants and with a wildly in love alpha who’s a bit too comfortable with sex. 

Izaya groans a bit as he looks at the empty corner where there used to be his large pile of library books. He misses them although he probably won’t be focused enough to read any time soon. Maybe after his heat, Izaya can ask if they can go to the library again. That had been sort of nice...

As he lays in bed bored and waiting for Shizuo, Izaya yawns. He isn’t sleepy, just  _ bored _ … and feeling a bit warm and feverish. His body starts to feel sluggish too. He hasn’t felt this lazy in a while…

He hugs his pillow feeling glum when he realizes it smells really nice. He sniffs it, a bit confused because he hasn’t washed it in some time…

It’s Shizuo’s scent. He can recognize it anywhere at this point, that sweet crisp with a note of spicy, it smells refreshing even though Shizuo isn’t really all that ‘refreshing’ in real life. 

Izaya sniffs it a bit more, suddenly feeling really comfortable with his position when…

Izaya feels it. The first hint of his cock stirring. 

…

Is he turned on by Shizuo’s scent? Izaya’s never really been… well no, he can’t say ‘never,’ but…

… There it is again. His cock is stirring once more and this time, it grows harder. 

 

Izaya’s heart sinks to his stomach fast as panic takes his heart.  _ Oh no.  _ His heat arrived earlier than they had planned.

* * *

Shizuo is rushing home again with a jug of milk at his side. He did the errands he said he would. He had returned the library books and got the milk and vegetables…

… And sold another chunk of the diamonds.

He didn’t tell Izaya that part of the plan because he was worried Izaya would want to come or tell him to wait. But Shizuo doesn’t want to wait. He feels bad for selling a portion of the diamonds he had already decided belonged to Izaya but he’s selling them  _ for _ Izaya. For the home that they’re going to build together as soon as he can take Izaya out of the apartment. Izaya doesn’t want to be there any longer either, he said so himself.

And Shizuo  _ really _ didn’t want to bring Izaya to sell them because… Shizuo used his command to get the best price. He knows that’s wrong and he promised himself that he wouldn’t command people on purpose, he barely knows how, but whether or not commanding people is right doesn’t matter to Shizuo anymore. He’s leaving and he’s taking Izaya with him and the only person he needs to do the right thing for is Izaya. He doesn’t feel bad about commanding the sleazy shopkeeper because Izaya didn’t see him do it and Izaya is all that matters.

Shizuo knows he’s not a good person despite how he’s tried, but he knows he can protect Izaya if he really tries. Once he steps back into their apartment, he’s not going to be letting Izaya out of his sight for a very, very long time.

He’ll miss Tom. He felt sad when he saw Vorona at the library and had to act as if it wasn’t going to be the last time. 

But more than anything, Shizuo feels liberated. Trying to figure out how to be good has always been so hard and now Shizuo doesn’t have to be good anymore. His world has shrunk down to the size of a little omega, and while that omega can be incredibly difficult at times, that omega makes him happy in a way the rest of the world hasn’t in years.

Hurrying around the corner and down the last block to his apartment, Shizuo hears something. It’s not a stray dog or a siren or something in his head. It’s a human voice. 

Shizuo sprints down the rest of the block and looks up to see five men in front of his apartment door. They appear to be fighting each other and the door at the same time.

“Come on, baby, let me in. You smell so good and I know you’ll be satisfied with an alpha like me.” One calls through while jiggling the door handle wildly like it will magically become unlocked. The man is jerked back by one of the others behind him who then throws his shoulder into the door.

“I’m the best alpha you’ll find in this city.” This man says in a huskier tone, panting. “You want the best. I know you do. I-” The third alpha shoves his shoulder into the door as well, pushing the second away.

Shizuo sees red and doesn’t need to watch the scene anymore. He drops the grocery bag and rushes up to the group, grabbing the first alpha he can get his hands on by the back of his shirt and tossing him out of the way. 

The alphas had been putting out strong pheromones, probably hoping to entice the perfect omega that’s sitting just beyond the door, but Shizuo’s lingering scent is still stronger because it’s been his territory for so long. 

But there’s also the rising scent of Izaya’s heat.

Izaya’s pheromones must be enough to compete with Shizuo’s and attract at least a few particularly bold alphas despite Shizuo’s aggressive scent hanging in the air. An aggressive scent that’s just gotten a whole lot stronger.

He doesn’t even register the expressions on the other alpha’s faces or the meager fight they put up if any before they’re limp and bloodied.

Shizuo reaches for the door, opening it without even thinking to go through the formality of unlocking it as the pins inside snap under the sharp turn of Shizuo’s wrist.

“Izaya-!” Shizuo calls inside desperately, pushing his way in. He doesn’t notice anything other than the powerful front of Izaya’s heat until he hears the loud screech of furniture being shoved across the floor.

He blinks to clear his vision and looks down to see his bed at his knees, right in front of the door where it doesn’t belong. It dawns on him that Izaya must have pushed the bed in front of the door to keep anyone from getting inside.

“H-here…” Izaya weakly squeaks behind the bed, which Shizuo has slid into him accidentally. 

“Oh, Izaya!” Shizuo gasps. He lifts the bed to move it away from Izaya so he can rush in to hug him when the scent of an authentic heat stops him in his tracks.

Touching Izaya in a fake heat is one thing. A real heat is another.

“Are you okay? I’m so, so sorry I left again. I… I…” He had to get the money but that doesn’t change how horrible he feels. It seems like almost every time he leaves the apartment, Izaya is in terrible danger.

“I… it’s fine but…” Izaya is shaking. “Blanket… I need…”

Shizuo rips the blanket off the bed and tosses it to Izaya. “It’s going to be okay.” He promises Izaya quickly. “It’ll be okay… I’ll… I’ll…”

_ You’ll do what? Watch Izaya suffer through another heat. This isn’t just the end of his heat this time. It’s going to be the whole thing. _

Izaya fumbles a bit as he wraps it around himself clumsily with his trembling hands. He looks sick and miserable.

“I’ll get help,” Shizuo says decisively. He pulls his phone out with surprisingly steady hands to call ‘That Idiot.’ “Just lay down, okay? I’m here now so no one is going to hurt you.”

Izaya crawls on top of the bed, curling into a cocoon to nest. Shizuo picks up the pillows that had fallen to the ground to place them on the bed with Izaya while the dial tone rings in his ear.

_ That idiot better pick up… _

_ What will you do if he doesn’t? You’ll have to figure something out for yourself, just like you would living alone in the woods with Izaya. _

 

The line is picked up.

_ “Hello?” _ comes an annoyingly cheerful voice from the other end.

“I need your help. It’s an emergency, so get here as fast as you can. And bring Celty.” Shizuo growls. He doesn’t wait for that idiot’s reply as he hangs up right after. Izaya’s needs came first.

Shizuo sits on the floor next to Izaya, the groceries forgotten on the street outside. His leg bounces, shaking the floor slightly while he impatiently waits and stares at the little bundle of omega.

A young man in a white lab coat arrives in record time, stepping directly on the bodies of the unconscious men in the doorway like they’re not even there while his kind shadow trails not far behind, holding Shizuo’s groceries and stepping more delicately around the bodies.

“Last time I saw you, you said you were going to try to hide. You’re doing a pretty bad job of hiding if this is your idea of subtle, Shizuo-kun!” Shinra chirps merrily. “So, what’s the emergency? Are these alphas dead this time or something? I’m not really a cleaner, you know.”

“I’ve never killed anyone,” Shizuo growls. “It’s my omega. He’s in heat and it’s really strong. We need a safer place to stay.”

“So you’re coming to me for help? It must be a pretty special omega. It’ll cost you.” the doctor grins happily. “I’d love to do an entire body checkup, it’s been a while since we’ve last had one.”

“Fine.” Shizuo snaps. He’d agree to just about anything. Of course, this is a special omega, Shizuo already said he was  _ his _ omega.

“Great! Can I open you up too? I’d have to special order a new set of diamond scalpels but I’d say it’s worth it!” 

The shadow comes up from behind Shinra to elbow him in the side before offering the bag to Shizuo. He takes it and she holds up her PDA for him.

[Of course, we’ll help. Is it okay if I use my shadows to cover him?]

“Thank you.” Shizuo sighs in relief, his tense shoulders finally dropping.

He drops to one knee by the bed to talk to Izaya gently.

“They’re going to help us. You can stay in the blanket but we’re going to move you now, okay?” He asks softly.

The lump of blanket on the bed nods and seems to shiver at Shizuo leaning in closer. Shizuo himself feels the strong pull of Izaya’s scent so he stands back up to step away.

Celty steps forward closer to Izaya and raises her arms to encase him in her shadows over the blanket. Shizuo knows from experience how gentle they are so he feels nothing but relief as the scent of Izaya’s heat dulls almost immediately.

With Izaya safely encased in Celty’s shadow, his pheromones aren’t nearly as much of a temptation anymore so Shizuo scoops Izaya up into his arms without fear. Izaya flinches in his hold, probably because Shizuo always promised not to touch him in his heat, so Shizuo holds him more securely in response.

“It’s okay.” Shizuo shushes him, close to where Izaya’s head most likely is. “It’s all going to be okay now.”

He carries Izaya outside and Celty converts her bike into a car so they can all get inside. Shizuo keeps Izaya cradled in his lap the whole ride, softly singing the tune Izaya always sings to him when he’s distressed.

“And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…”

They just have to make it through this heat and then Shizuo can bring Izaya into his dreams. Just this one more heat.

In the safety of Celty’s shadows, with Izaya curled up in his lap, Shizuo isn’t quite as impatient to get to Shinra’s as he thought he’d be.

Once they get to Shinra and Celty’s significantly more upscale apartment, Shizuo follows Shinra’s instructions to carry Izaya into the ventilated room. It’s the smallest room in the apartment but it will keep the air fresh and clean of Izaya’s pheromones. He carries Izaya past the first section of the nearly empty room into the second portion that’s behind large glass windows. It reminds Shizuo of an aquarium. 

Reluctantly, Shizuo places Izaya on the thin, plastic-covered mat in the center of the room. It crinkles under Izaya’s weight and Shizuo can only think of the soft nest back at his apartment that Izaya would be more comfortable in.

_ At least he has a blanket… _ Shizuo thinks to himself as Celty closes the door behind them and removes her shadows from Izaya’s body.

The snap of latex draws Shizuo’s attention away from Izaya over to Shinra who’s pulling on gloves and a mask.

The sound makes Izaya poke his head out of his blanket cocoon. He then turns over to look at the sound, squinting in the bright light. “...Shinra?” He croaks out.

“W-wait!” Shizuo knows he never addressed Shinra by name and Celty couldn’t have. “You know Shinra?”

“Oh! Izaya!” Shinra seems surprised as well, at least. “You’re Shizuo’s omega? Haha! That’s amazing!” 

“Yeah.” Shizuo snaps, turning on Shinra quickly. “How do you…?” But then it dawns on Shizuo and pieces start to fit together. Shinra works at Nebula. And Izaya ran away from Nebula. But Shinra doesn’t work on the simple ranking tests… then again, Izaya did say they took a special interest in him…

He supposes it makes sense, actually, but that doesn’t mean Shizuo has to be happy about it.

Shizuo changes his question instead. “You met at Nebula?”

 


End file.
